The Night Before
by evieeden
Summary: What if the first time Bella dreamed of Edward she wasn’t really dreaming. Would their growing relationship be tainted by what had already occured? Based on the ‘that was the first night I dreamed of Edward Cullen’ deleted scene on the Twilight DVD.
1. The Night Before

_**What if the first time Bella dreamed of Edward she wasn't really dreaming. Would their growing relationship be tainted by what had already occured?**_

_**Based on the 'that was the first night I dreamed of Edward Cullen' deleted scene on the Twilight DVD.**_

**Stephanie Meyer owns everything as she rightly should. I own nothing but this plot and a dirty mind.**

**Thanks to my two betas on this chapter RedSummer (go check out her fic My Family and I) and desespoir for all their help on this fic.**

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I jerked awake - some sixth sense rousing me from my uneasy sleep.

Disorientated, I lay perfectly still, covers kicked down around my legs, one arm half-clenched by the side of my face, breathing heavily as though I had just run a marathon. _Or experienced an intense moment of passion_ the little voice in my head whispered to me.

For a moment I tried desperately to recall why I wasn't asleep anymore, what dream I had had that disturbed my mind so much that it returned me to consciousness so abruptly.

And then I saw it. A small shadow at the end of my bed, insignificant really, that just caught the corner of my eye.

I whipped my head round surprisingly fast for someone with my lack of reflexes, spoiling the illusion of effortlessness slightly by shooting out a hand to brace myself against the mattress, stopping my body from tumbling over the edge onto the floor.

And there he stood - fists clenched, shoulders hunched, as though he was fighting the urge to throw himself on top of me.

I was slightly pleased by this. Earlier in the hospital he seemed like he couldn't wait to get away from me, or maybe that was just the questions that he hadn't wanted to answer.

_I hope you enjoy disappointment._

I had presumed this meant that he resented me; his seeming avoidance of me after that first biology class and now after the almost-accident had led me to believe that he did not share the same fascination with me as I did with him.

Yet here he was. Standing in my room. By my bed. On the second floor of my house. In the middle of the night. With my police chief father and his standard-issue gun only a hall away.

Questions floated through my mind at that moment: How did he get in? What was he doing here? Why wasn't I screaming to Charlie that some boy who may or may not hate me but did save my life was hovering over my body while I slept? But I didn't care.

He was beautiful. Oh so very beautiful - too beautiful to look away fromand begin to think rationally. He was just too charming, and mysterious, and intriguing, and he filled out his jeans and dark blue shirt so well that I could almost feel the muscles hidden underneath with just my eyes.

Flushing at the inappropriate direction my thoughts were going I glanced up at his face only to be held spellbound by his eyes - pools of amber slowly darkening to perfect onyx under my scrutiny, yet it wasn't the colour that left me enraptured but the emotions they betrayed. No longer was this the carefully formed blankness apparent in the emergency room. The illusion of calm was completely shattered.

_Tormented_, was the word my mind supplied for me. _Edward looks tormented_.

Some hint of his defiance from earlier still remained but it was overshadowed by other feelings. The predatory hunger should have scared me off, made me recoil back against the headboard, but the intense sorrow held me in place.

_My Edward is sad._

The fact that I was now referring to Edward in my head as being mine should have been a big enough hint that my brain once again wasn't functioning properly, and that the best thing for me to do was to ignore Edward as the dream figure he so clearly was, lie back down and go to sleep.

I leaned forward slightly, wondering if I'd imagined the last emotion. Hunger, but of a different kind. The kind I'd always secretly wanted to be a part of, despite the fact that no one had ever caught my eye or made me feel _that_ way before. It was want and need and desire and it was my dream. It was my dream, and Edward was in my room, and he wanted me - really wanted me. It was my dream and I could do what I wanted in it.

I launched myself onto my knees and across the bed barely staying on it, and grabbed the front of Edward's shirt.

My hands fisted, dragging him towards me and he came willingly. As I settled back onto my heels my hands slid up, instinctively cupping Edward's face before moving round to dig my fingers into his hair.

_So soft_, my mind registered, revelling in the fact that I was touching him. _And he wasn't backing away_.

Then his lips met mine and my mind went blank. My eyes fluttered shut, unable to stay open with all the emotions running through me. If I had ever been satisfied with merely gazing at Edward I knew I could never be so content in the future. His lips were cool, moulding themselves to mine, never yielding but taking as fiercely as they gave.

_Edward Cullen is kissing me_, my mind squealed before my body shuddered at the contact between us and my muscles gave up supporting me altogether.

I collapsed backwards, never releasing my grip on Edward's hair, pulling him down onto the bed with me. As we fell Edward shot out his right handbracing himself so as to avoid crushing me underneath him as we landed. Whilst this was a nice gesture, it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted it all. I wanted to feel Edward's body pressed against mine, to become intimately acquainted with those muscles I had so admired a minute ago. I moved my hands slightly, making sure I had a firm hold on the back of his head_, _not allowing a sliver of light to come between my face and his and yanked him down on top of me.

It wasn't a particularly graceful move on my part, and it wasn't one of those elegantly seductive moves that women on TV, or the popular girls at school in Phoenix,always seemed able to make when trying to have their way with the opposite sex. I secretly smirked to myself at the thought; _I'm having my way with Edward_. Not graceful and not seductive, but lustful and desperate... and working. I could feel Edward capitulating to my silent demand and again I squealed inwardly before my internal musing stopped. Lust took over my body and then...bliss.

Edward was suddenly possessed with the same sheer desperation that haunted my actions. His free arm swept out from behind himpushing my remaining covers out of the way. Our kissing paused for a moment, allowing both of us to inhale air greedily. Secretly I was pleased that he seemed as affected by our kiss as I was. It wasn't like I had much experience at this sort of thing, and he was so beautiful that I couldn't believe that he didn't. Our foreheads rested together for a second as we panted in unison and I was proud that I could reduce this gorgeous boy to the same state that I was in.

Then his mouth claimed me again and I couldn't help the slight whimper that escaped me. It was answered by his low moan, and then he was fully on top of me and I was reduced to a quivering wreck underneath him. All from just a kiss.

The noises now resonating out of my throat would have embarrassed me normally, but this was my dream and I felt strangely confident, helped along of course by the fact that Edward was now emitting a strange rumbling growl through his chest that shot warmth through me.

As his full length began to rest against mine I felt his hand settle on my hip_, _sliding around to my ass and clutching me to him.

Until this point I had been lost solely in the sensation of his mouth against mine, the pleasurable numbing of my lips had kept me thoroughly occupied, but now I became aware of the other feelings assaulting my senses.

Tingling heat had shot out across my form from where his hands grasped at me: one sliding behind my shoulders to crush my chest to his, the other curving round from my behind to run sensually up and down my thigh_, _his fingers reflexively clutching my flesh to him.

I was overwhelmed. The sensations running through my body caused my breath to hitch in my throat, my insides clenching in reaction to Edward's touch.

Edward moved his mouth across my jaw towards my ear_,_ kissing and sucking and licking. Gasping for air my hands left the bronzed hair that I had been steadfastly clinging to, my arms sliding up to tighten around his neck, holding him to me in the hope that his actions would never stop. I threw my head back whimpering and moaning, my eyes flicking upwards where they blankly fixed upon the ceiling

The hand that had been running down my thigh curved around my knee, hitching my leg around his hips where the other one quickly joined it. Edward's attention towards my jaw grew more frantic as his lips moved downwards towards my neck and my hips jerked upwards.

We both froze: Edward with his face buried in my hair at my neck, his breaths sounding incredibly loud in the silence of our pause, and me, quivering, my spread legs pressing my core tightly against his body.

And I felt it. _Holy shit did I feel it_.

I was suddenly incredibly glad that this was just a dream. In my dream this would go perfectly_, _. I wouldn't be nervous, I wouldn't say or do anything stupid, and I definitely wouldn't freak out about the fact the I was feeling it and was 99% sure that the mechanics of the whole situation wouldn't work.

He was huge... or what I could feel felt huge anyway. Not that I could judge. And I wasn't judging really. I was just...

Evaluating. _Overthinking_, my brain helpfully supplied. I scowled slightly, angry that I was overanalysing my dream_,_ ruining the glow that had so painstakingly been built up between myself and Edward. And...

"Bella breathe," a smooth voice commanded, and as I inhaled sharply feeling the burn of my lungs accepting the oxygen I realised that Edward had raised his head slightly and was gazing at me with concern.

_This was wrong. All wrong_. Edward wasn't supposed to be concerned.

I tilted my head slightly to gaze at him and in return he stared back at me, his expression nearly pained, his chest heaving. Edward seemed to deliberate with himself for a moment, before opening his mouth and echoing the same thing that I was thinking but for a totally different reason, "Bella this isn't right, we should stop."

_What? Stop? No no, no_! This was my dream and we were not stopping. Dream Edward was not going to make me stop. My mind flitted briefly over the idea that maybe Dream Edward wasn't really Dream Edward but quickly dismissed the thought as it entered my head.

Real Edward hated me. Real Edward had stood there and mocked my efforts to explain how he had stopped a van from crushing me to death with his hand. Real Edward had no place in this fantasy. I wanted Dream Edward back. 

I leaned towards him, straining towards that decadent mouth but he jerked away, the look on his face becoming more and more panicked... and then he was gone. Not far. He still sat on my bed facing me, but was no longer on top of me where I wanted him to be.

I sat up slowlynot wanting to spook him but needing to be close again. "Edward..." I breathed.

He flinched at the sound of his name, running his hand through his hair in a gesture I recognized as frustration... or was it indecision? "Bella we..." he hesitated. I continued to move slowly towards him until he held his hand upstopping me in my tracks.

"We can't do this."

The words cut into me, freezing my body in shock and embarrassment. Until that instant I was so sure that this was going to be one of the most beautiful moments that I had experienced, dream or no dream. My hopes were shattered.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I ducked my head down so Edward wouldn't be able to see me cry, I didn't want to see the look of pity that would inevitably cross his face.

"Bella I..." Edward started, visibly gathering himself before trying again. "Bella we can't do this... It wouldn't be right. There are things that you don't know about me..."

"Only because you won't tell me," I blurted out, interrupting him. "I asked and you laughed in my face." My ranting picked up its pace, my tears of humiliation turning to ones of anger. "I came to Forks and then you glared at me, and then biology... and the mitosis quiz... and the questions about my life... you actually seemed like a decent guy. Then one tiny accident later..."

"I wouldn't call nearly being crushed by a van a tiny accident."

"... and you suddenly decide 'no more!' And you yelled at me, and now you're in my room, and we were just..." I gestured towards my mattress, not wanting to say the words out loud. "I just... Don't you want me?" I asked brokenly, suddenly very tired of trying to fight for the affection of someone who didn't feel the same way.

Edward groaned - the tormented look etched once more upon his face. I hated that look passionately and wanted it gone. "Bella of course I want..." But he didn't get any further. I'd heard what I wanted to hear and decided to shut him up the only way I knew how.

I lunged at him again, this time pinning him down as he yielded to me, reclining smoothly backwards. There were no hesitations now, the moment in which to stop this madness had passed by and we were now helpless slaves to our emotions...

Or at least I was. I like to think that he was too. It certainly seemed like it anyway.

Our lips tore at each other his palms gripping my hips, pulling my lower body to his, whilst my nails dug into his chest anchoring me to him. If he felt any pain he didn't show it.

And then my camisole and his shirt were gone and our bare chests were pressing together and it was too much. I threw my head back, hyperventilating at the tingling that once again spread out from the points of contact between us, trying not to pass out.

Edward's mouth quickly claimed my throat, furiously kissing and sucking at the bare skin surrounding my pulse points. His hands slid up over my ribs, hesitating slightly before moving up to cup my breasts, thumbs delicately flicking at my swollen nipples. I thought I would die from the sensation, moaning low and deep in the back on my throat.

Edward lifted me slightly, allowing his mouth to venture down past my collarbone before his lips attached themselves to my breast, kissing the flesh of one, whilst his hand massaged the other, until he reached my nipple. His mouth enclosed it, sucking lightly, and the pulling sensation sent another flood of warmth down my body.

I needed more. The erratic clenchinginside me growing to a fever pitch, and I yanked myself away from Edward's mouth. Moving my hands up from their resting place on his chest to his shoulders I used my newly gained leverage to pull myself upwards, my legs falling apart to straddle Edward's hips, my core grinding into his.

Edward was growling again, the vibrations sending shockwaves up my body which encouraged me to push down against him harder, whimpering at the heightened contact. We were grinding in unison now, our hips uncontrollably jerking and shuddering against each other.

His eyes never left mine. The torment and frustration were gone now, replaced by a gaze of awe and wonder, as well as a healthy bucketload of lust. This was how my Edward should look. This was right.

I needed to get closer.

Sitting up slightly I let my hands return to Edward's muscled chest, allowing myself a brief moment to explore its surface with my fingers before bringing them down to rest against the top button of his jeans.

Edward froze, his hands moving down to grip my wrists, keeping me from moving any further. I whimpered, wriggling slightly to try and increase the pressure on my clit, which was throbbing uncontrollably. _Why did he keep stopping?_

"Bella maybe we should..."

"Edward," I interrupted. "Edward please. I need this." I wasn't sure how much of this semi-rejection I could continue to take. I was now mentally willing him with everything I had to hear my pleas and just get over his reservations. _What kind of self-respecting seventeen-year-old boy was he?_

Edward, who had been staring entranced at where my hands were held captive by his, glanced up. Taking in my expression and the desperation in my voice he hesitated before nodding, teeth clenched together and heavy pants resounding through his body underneath me. Releasing mehis fingers traced the edge of my yoga pants whilst mine worked frantically to pop open the buttons of his jeans before he could stop me again.

As I got the last one undone I felt my world tilting and a gust of air escaped me as I found myself on my back again, Edward on top of me and my pants down around my ankles. I quickly kicked them off the end of my feet as Edward's lips claimed mine. Managing to hook my fingers around his belt loops I yanked downwards, attempting to wriggle his jeans off him.

Edward rose onto his knees above me, shedding his pants, practically throwing them into the lamp in the corner of my room, and then turned and looked down at me.

I held his gaze boldly for all of two seconds before his eyes slid hungrily over my body and I suddenly remembered that I was lying spread out in front of the most beautiful and perfect boy in the entire world in nothing but a pair of plain white cotton panties. I squirmed in embarrassment, flushing heavily as my blush spread all the way down to my chest.

Just as I was about to cover my breasts with my arms in a pretty pathetic attempt to cover myself Edward growled. Not that I was an expert but it sounded like a noise of appreciation and studying Edward's face I noticed that once again his eyes had darkened in what I was coming to recognise as lust.

_But I wasn't the only one half naked_, I reminded myself. Finding comfort in this recollection I decided to conduct my own appraisal, sliding my eyes down over his broad shoulders, that muscular chest, those toned abs, the mouth-watering 'V' at his hips which led down to...

I snapped my eyes shut. He wasn't wearing any boxers. _He wasn't wearing any boxers!_

A low sinful chuckle interrupted my brain meltdown at the discovery that Edward went commando. I slowly peeked through my lashes to meet Edward's deliciously crooked smirk. Confronted with the desire to wipe it off his faceI blindly reached downwards until his cock was cradled in my shaking hand. The smirk vanished to be replaced with a low groan as Edward's eyes fluttered shut and a look of pure bliss crossed his face. Entranced, I began to move my hand slowly up and down, Edward's hips moving slightly with me to push himself further into my palm.

Inhaling sharply, Edward buried his face into the hair at the crook of my neck, hands flitting lightly down my sides until they reached the top of my panties. I barely registered the short ripping sound before his fingers were on me. Inside me.

Practically crying with relief my spare hand gripped the back of Edward's neck, clasping him to me. I began thrusting in time with the one finger, then two, which entered me.

Edward was now working me over at a quickening pace, his thumb moving round to first press down gently, and then begin rubbing, over my clit. I cried out sharply at the sensation, my voice breaking through the sound of our heavy panting, my legs jerking up uncontrollably to clamp around Edward's hips fastening myself to him once again.

As the pressure inside me began to grow the hand which had been caressing Edward's length dropped to the bed, feebly clawing at the mattress. And then...

A symphony of colours erupted behind my closed eyes as pure heat shot up through my body, blinding me, deafening me to nothing except this feeling of pure bliss.

As the colours began to fade to black I could vaguely hear Edward's voice murmuring desperately to me and I struggled to focus on the words.

"... Bella. Bella, you need to breathe love... open your eyes Bella... Bella please...'

Groggily opening my eyes I registered that Edward was gazing worriedly down at me. Smiling up at him I received a relieved grin in return before heated pleasure overtook his expression. Wriggling, I noticed that in my orgasmic haze,_ first ever _my head squealed, Edward had positioned his cock at my entrance and appeared to be waiting for some kind of signal from me to proceed.

As I nodded slightly, he pushed inside, and the blaze overtook me once more. The sharp pain as my hymen broke made no impression beyond a brief acknowledgement to myself that it had happened.

Grunts and moans took over as Edward pistoned inside me. My hands flittered over any of his exposed skin that I could reach, whilst his arms stretched over our heads to grip the headboard.

My stomach began spiralling again as the tightening of my walls steadily increased towards another orgasm. Edward's rhythm started to falter, and I realised that he must be close to his release as well.

Three hard thrusts later and I shattered, wailing out Edward's name as I came.

This time I remembered to breathe and idly noticed that whilst I was occupied with my pleasure Edward had reached his at the same time.

Head once again buried in my hair, Edward slowly lowered himself onto his elbows, restraining his body from crushing me into the bed, although at that moment I wouldn't have cared if he did. My body heaved as I worked to get air back into my lungs and I began to rhythmically rub up and down Edward's back, lulling both of us back to earth.

Edward lifted his head, staring wondrously at me, "Bella, that was..." His lips claimed me passionately before he broke away again. His fingers lightly traced my cheekbone. "Thank you so much."

As his face lowered to mine once more, I shifted slightly, cringing as a dull ache began to penetrate my lower body. "Oh god, Bella I'm so sorry... I hurt you... Are you in much pain?" I hadn't realized that my instinctive flinch was conspicuous enough to attract Edward's notice, but he now seemed completely panicked at the idea that he had hurt me. "Bella please forgive me... I didn't mean to... I knew we shouldn't have done this. Please forgive me?"

Rolling my eyes at his overreaction an errant thought knocked me sideways from nowhere, causing me to be the one to jerk away from him and halting his pleas for forgiveness. It was something I had written off before but now seemed blindingly obvious. _Why would Dream Edward be apologizing for having sex with me?_ It was something that seemed so out of sorts with my dominant dream lover.

_But he hadn't been dominant._ Edward had been hesitant, unwilling to continue until I begged him to.

He looked confusedly at me as I stared blankly up at him. Comprehension of what had happened, what I had easily dismissed earlier in the heat of my passion, beginning to filter through my mind.

"It was all real."

... and then everything went black.


	2. The Morning After

**So here's chapter two of The Night Before, ever so cleverly titled The Morning After. Geddit? Ok, rubbish joke, I know.**

**So thanks to all of you who read, favourited, story alerted and reviewed. One day, in the very near future, I will get round to replying to them all.**

**Big thanks also go out to my beta for this fic Red Summer who puts up with my nonsense and procrastination. I owe her, big time.**

**Anyway, enjoy.**

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**The Morning After**

When I woke up the next morning I was disorientated. The last thing I remembered before passing was Edward's perfect face, gazing down upon me in concern and confusion. _Why would Edward be hovering over me in the middle of the night?_

_Holy...?_ I bolted upright.

I had sex with Edward Cullen. _I had sex with Edward Cullen_.

For a whole five seconds my body and mind hummed with this knowledge... and then I remembered. _I had sex with Edward Cullen and I thought it was a dream?_ I grabbed my pillow off my bed and screamed into it, hyperventilating and shaking as the implications of the act hit me. I was so very beyond angry with myself; what kind of person loses their virginity and doesn't even believe it's happening at the time? I screamed into my pillow once more, at this rate...

"Bella, are you up?" Oh god, Charlie. Why was he knocking on my bedroom door? He never wakes me in the morning; he's always gone before I leave.

He knows! It's the only explanation. Why else would he be here? It was the moaning! Oh dear god, he heard the moaning. I knew I should have been quieter, kept my mouth shut. But it wasn't exactly something I had planned; and I never knew it was possible to feel to like that.

Charlie banged on the door once more. "Bella, are you alright? Bella? If you don't open the door in the next ten seconds I'm kicking it down." Oh god. Move.

I lunged to open the door before Charlie could barge in, managing to tangle my legs in the covers as I moved, sending me crashing to the floor.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm fine," I yelled as I fought to kick my feet free. I finally reached the door, throwing it open to reveal Charlie's bewildered face. "Morning dad," I sang out.

"Are you alright there Bells? You're looking a little flushed."

"I'm fine," I answered too quickly. The bewildered look had now changed to concern. I guess I was just inspiring that look in everyone lately. "Really, I'm fine. I just... fell over."

"Oh, okay," Charlie looked relieved at this reminder that I was just clumsy. "I just wanted to make sure that you were ok."

I stared blankly at him.

"You know, I was worried that you're head might still hurt after yesterday."

Oh right, the accident. My latest near-death experience. "I'm fine, thanks, Char-... dad. It was nothing. I'm good as new, like you see."

Charlie scrutinized my face before peering suspiciously into my room. "Well that's ok then, Bells." He obviously decided that I was just being me as he suddenly announced that he would be working late again tonight and that I could cut school if my head wound was still giving me hassle.

"No! I mean... I mean I'm good. I'm great. School'll be great."

"Well, alright then." He gave me that inscrutable look once more. "I'll see you later."

"Sure," I managed. "I'll leave some cold cuts for you in the fridge for when you get home." Smiling and nodding like a maniac I shut the door in his face.

Leaning my back against the wooden frame, I pressed my hand to my chest, feeling it heave against my palm. Oh. My. God. He knows. He must know; I made it so obvious. And if he can tell then everyone at school will be able to as well. My breaths were coming shorter and faster now; my mind racing at a million miles a minute.

Oh god! I stared down in horror at my body, deeply afraid by what I would find.

Thank fucking god. I had clothes on. I didn't usually swear but the situation appeared to call for it. _Edward fucking Cullen_ seemed to call for it. I had sex with Edward Cullen, passed out afterwards and opened my bedroom door _to my father_ the morning after, without even checking first to make sure I had clothes on. _Who does that?_ Who doesn't even think that check that they have clothes on?

Now that I come to think of it my room was uncommonly tidy, my discarded clothes from yesterday folded on my desk chair and my bedroom window was shut. I looked around questioningly; did I just imagine last night? I do have really vivid dreams normally, and it would be just like me to manage to pass out even in my unconsciousness.

No! I wasn't going to do this! I wasn't going to talk myself into believing that something wasn't real again. It was real. It did happen. The end.

With that clarified in my mind, I decided to move on to the next problem to be dealt with. I had sex with Edward Cullen. The very thought of it was sending my head spinning. Edward Cullen. Short of saving me from my impending crushed-to-a-pulp doom, he hadn't really shown much interest in me before now. Last night though... Last night he definitely showed an interest. I shuddered at the memory of how he touched me, what he made me feel, how he tasted. I shook myself out of it; at this rate I was going to get myself off, no help necessary.

I glanced over at the messy bed, swearing again at the sight of the time on my bedside clock. Having sex had obviously given me a potty mouth. But at the moment I needed to focus; I needed to have a shower, get dressed and go to school, just like usual.

Grabbing my clothes, I made my way to the bathroom, brushing my teeth before stripping off my top and yoga pants. I got in the shower and then froze; I just took off my top and my pants. _Where the hell were my panties?_ Did Edward just not find them when he was re-dressing me? I decided to check my covers when I got out the bathroom; at the very least they would need to go in with the rest of the laundry.

Cleaning myself, I noticed lots of little aches and pains beginning to throb across my body, whilst my breasts and private parts, _God, I couldn't even think the proper word_, were sore to the touch. Stepping out from under the spray and about to wrap a towel around my body I hesitated.

My body was completely littered with bruises, overlapping most of my bare skin. _What the hell?_ I mean I knew sex could get a bit rough, but surely this was slightly extreme. How could Edward possibly have caused this? He was so gentle with me. I was suddenly glad to be in Forks, instead of back in Phoenix. At least here it was cold enough that I could get away with wearing long sleeves and pants.

As I wiped the condensation off the mirror, I suddenly noticed another bruise; one that couldn't be covered up by long sleeves. Adorning my neck, right over my jugular in plain sight, was a deep black hickey. How had Charlie missed this? How was I going to hide it from everyone?

Tugging on my underwear and jeans, I ran to my room, trading in my V-necked shirt for one that covered my neck adequately. I was running too late to stop and contemplate my rainbow-coloured skin. Grabbing my belongings and shoving my feet into my sneakers I sprinted for my truck, trying to avoid the cold wind which lashed at my body.

Starting up the radiator I drove as fast as possible to school, making it there surprisingly with time to spare. Using the few minutes before the bell rang to calm myself, I somehow managed to heave in several deep breaths.

Which then became completely ineffective when I saw him.

He was standing there completely motionless, leaning against his car, just like yesterday. And just like yesterday, he was staring at me curiously.

As his eyes met mine I froze, gulping in air like it was going out of fashion. Neither of us made any kind of move, we just stared at each other, me with barely contained horror, and Edward with barely concealed interest.

The bell rang, shocking me into action as I stumbled out of my truck and into the school, fumbling my way towards English. Not really noticing the noise surrounding me, I threw myself into my chair, my hands trembling, and one thought repeating continuously through my head.

_Last night, I had sex with Edward Cullen._

* * *

It was official: school was hell.

All day I had had to smile politely and make non-committal comments when person after person approached me for my first hand daring account of how I had narrowly escaped death the day before. And despite the hazy confused stupor I wandered around in during the morning, I stuck to the line Edward had given me in the hospital yesterday. "Oh Edward Cullen was standing next to me... didn't you see him... he pushed me out of the way..."

Edward Cullen had a lot to answer for.

Lunch in particular was torture. Jessica, in her official role as my 'best friend', had taken it upon herself to regale our table, and half the cafeteria, with the tale of my epic escape. I secretly wondered if she would have delivered the story with even more relish had I died.

"Well, see, Bella was talking to Edward; you know they share a lab table in Biology, right? Then Tyler's van came screeching around the corner – he totally lost control. I mean... you would have been completely crushed, right Bella, if he had hit you? I mean can you imagine the blood and guts everywhere? I saw this show once right, where some guy got hit by a car and like, his brain was leaking out of his ears and everything."

About to take a bite of salad, I paused, before placing it back down on my plate. There was no chance of me eating anything substantial today. I had chosen to eat a light salad as my stomach was already doing somersaults at the idea that someone might know about my nighttime activities. Jessica's graphic description was now causing bile to rise up in my throat as well.

Lifting my permanently bowed head to quickly glance around the table I flushed upon seeing all eyes fixed on me. This was exactly the sort of attention I had been looking to avoid. On the plus side, as long as people were focusing only on the van accident maybe they wouldn't then notice my new lack-of-virginity.

Ducking my head again, I allowed my hair to fall like a curtain, protecting me from everyone's gazes. Unhindered by my lack of enthusiasm, Jessica continued with her story.

"So anyway, when Edward saw that Bella was about to be squashed, he flew towards her, kind of like what you see in action movies. You know, when it's just like pure adrenaline or something..."

Tuning her out, I peered out the corner of my eye towards the table where the Cullens and the Hales sat. Once again none of them appeared to be talking to each other and though I was sure that they were too far across the cafeteria to listen to Jessica's rendition, all of them had their heads slightly cocked in our table's direction – like they were listening in.

At Jessica's insistence that Edward had behaved exactly like some kind of Bruce Willis action hero, I saw the big one, Emmett, let out a bark of laughter before elbowing Edward in the ribs so hard it looked like it would hurt. In response, the blond, Rosalie, lifted one hand to smack the back of his head before they all settled back down to their unmoving and unresponsive state. None of them, however, were looking at me differently, which meant that Edward thankfully had not divulged the details of last night to them.

Suddenly Edward turned sharply towards me and I was convinced that he knew I was watching him, despite keeping my hair as a protective barrier. As his eyes bored into me I felt anxious to see him. I needed desperately to talk to him; to find out what it was that just happened last night.

"...and anyway my mom says you need to be real careful with head injuries, 'cos if you, like, bang it again, you could end up as a vegetable. The exact same thing happened to my mom's cousin and he never..."

"I'm going to go to class," I announced, standing up abruptly and cutting Jessica off mid-sentence.

Mike and Tyler both immediately stood up too, then glared at each other. I inwardly rolled my eyes.

"Do you need any help getting to class or anything, Bella? I mean you don't feel dizzy or anything?"

_Why were they making such a big deal over this?_ Lauren was now glaring viciously at me, not even bothering to hide her contempt, whilst Jessica was violently stabbing the lid of her yoghurt cup with a spoon.

"I'm fine, really." They didn't look convinced. "Really. I've just got a bit of a headache and want to sit quietly in class for a while until it starts."

"Are you sure, Bella? I could always..."

"I said I'm fine, Mike!" I snapped, surprising even myself with the harshness in my voice. "I just want to be alone for a bit." The stress was getting to me and while I knew I should be sorry, I just hoped that Mike would finally get the message that I really wasn't interested.

As I stalked to put my rubbish in the trash I heard Lauren mutter "What a freak!" behind me. I didn't care. At this point my nerves were strung so tightly that everything else seemed obsolete. Everything, of course, apart from Edward...

... who was no longer sat at his family's lunch table. My head swung around, trying to locate him amongst the throng of students.

Huffing in frustration when he didn't appear into my line of sight, I began to slowly make my way out the cafeteria and down the hall towards Biology. _Crap, Biology. With Edward_. This was going to be a barrel of laughs.

My imaginary headache became painfully real, a dull throb beginning behind my eyes. Rubbing my hand across them to try and release the pressure, I was nearly knocked off my feet when I walked blindly into a brick wall...

Or not.

Alice Cullen had grabbed my elbows, stopping the sprawl backwards I was about to end up in.

She was so tiny and I was so clumsy. How had she not ended up on her backside as well? For that matter, how had she stopped me mid-fall? Either this pixie-ish girl was packing some serious muscles underneath her clothes or she was also in on this whole freakishly-strong, freakishly-fast secret of Edward's.

She smiled brightly at me as if she knew what I was thinking. "Are you alright, Bella? It's a good thing I saw you coming towards me and had a chance to brace myself."

I looked suspiciously at her and received a wink in return.

_What was that? What did it mean? Why did she just wink at me as if she knew something? _

Rubbing my arms softly she released my elbows, I hadn't even realised that she still had a grip on me. I gazed down at her, to find that she was waiting for me to say something.

"Um... thanks... For catching me, I mean."

There was that sweet smile again, before she began rummaging in her bag for something. "No problem, Bella. I'm Alice, by the way." Finding what she was looking for, she held out her hand. "Here."

I turned the tub of lotion over in my palms slowly. I didn't get it.

"I'm sure we'll be great friends in the future," she chirped, beginning to sidle down the corridor. Just before she turned the corner, she called back to me. "You should use that on the bruises. Trust me, it'll help."

With that parting shot, she was gone. Leaving me standing dumbstruck in the hall.

_She knew_.

About to slide into hysterics, I realised that whilst Alice had confirmed my worst fears – I was a no-good brazen hussy that had sex with her brother without realizing – she had also confirmed that I was, in fact, completely sane.

_She knew._

She knew and that meant that there was something to know.

I really did have sex with Edward Cullen last night.

Feeling strangely buoyant, I practically skipped my way to class. The room wasn't empty as I hoped though. Edward sat at our table, looking breathtakingly beautiful. The sight of him sent a hot flush running through my body and I ducked my head, shuffling towards my seat next to him.

As I sat, I noticed that he was once again leaning away from me, fists clenched and eyes dark. Was this the way it was always going to be? Edward treating me with barely concealed dislike. I nearly wanted to cry with the frustration of it all. He saved me, made me keep secrets from my own father, slept with me and now we were back to this? Determined to brave this out, I smiled tentatively at him. "Hello Edward."

He didn't reply, he just nodded. _Infuriating boy._

Hissing sharply, I threw my bag onto the table, thudding the lotion Alice had given me down between us.

Faster than I could see, Edward's hand gripped my wrist, holding it in place as he drew the sleeve of my shirt upwards. A pained cry erupted from his chest at the sight of the black marks covering my arm. Placing my hand over his, I slowly pulled my sleeve back down. He shifted his palms so his fingers were digging easily into the soft wood on the table edge. "I'm so sorry." It was a whisper, almost too faint for me to hear. "God, I'm so sorry, Bella."

"I'm fine, Edward." I didn't know how many times I had already repeated that phrase today, but in this case I really wanted, no needed, Edward to believe me. "Really. This is nothing. I'm not hurt. Some of them are from the accident yesterday, not..." This was point when I was going to put it all out there. "...Not last night, Edward. You didn't hurt me last night."

"But I hurt you before, Bella. Even if you're not in pain right now, I hurt you."

I shook my head in denial reaching out to grab the hand nearest to me. It took some effort to release his grip on the desk, but I managed, wrapping my fingers tightly around his. How I had gone from wanting to demand what the hell was going on to comforting Edward, I don't know. But something inside me, deep and ingrained, couldn't let him suffer. I squeezed his hand, but he still wouldn't look me in the eye.

I searched for something to say and remembered the van from yesterday. The image of a dent in the metalwork in the exact shape of Edward's arm, a sign of his obvious strength (no matter what he might say to the contrary), was ingrained in my memory. It was to this now that I turned.

"It's not your fault Edward, you couldn't help it. You're just strong. Accidents like that will happen." I didn't know where I was getting half of this from, but as I said it I recognized its truth.

Finally Edward turned to face me in wonder. "Bella," he breathed, his hand detangling from mine to cup my cheek. "You don't know..."

A clatter of metal dishes interrupted whatever he was going to say, as Mr Banner entered the classroom, dropping the dishes on the first desk he came to.

Edward immediately dropped his hand from my face and I whimpered quietly at the loss. He returned his grip to the table ledge as the rest of the class began to file in. Angela gave me a small smile as she passed our desk, where as Mike, in a complete change from usual, stomped straight to his desk without even glancing in my direction.

The class was filled with noise as everyone settled in and Edward took the opportunity to lean in towards me and whispered quickly into my ear.

"Bella, I know you have a lot of questions but please believe me when I say that you shouldn't want to... it's best if we're not friends. It's best if I stay away from you."

Stunned by this sudden U-turn, I froze.

"Edward, why..."

"Miss Swan, if you'd like to pay attention..." I blushed at Mr Banner's reprimand and lowered my head to stare fixedly at my desk.

Chancing a quick glance towards Edward, I saw with sadness that he was once again leaning away from me.

So that's how it would be. Back to the beginning.

The rest of school went by in a blur. A blurrish hellish blur.

Edward refused to look at me for the rest of Biology and Lauren in a fit of pique after lunch threw a volleyball directly at my head. I spent the rest of gym sitting on the bleachers with an ice pack. Great. More head injuries.

Arriving home I made a quick dinner for myself and left the remains in the fridge for Charlie when he got back. Stomping upstairs to my room, I got changed and then threw myself onto my bed.

Luckily, or unluckily from my point of view, we hadn't been given any homework in any of our classes today. I had nothing to distract me from my thoughts.

_OK, so let's review what I do know_.

Edward had saved me from being crushed by a van.

Edward had run across the parking lot of the school in a split second. _Right, super speed_.

Edward had stopped the van using only his hand. _Super strength_.

Edward and his family could possibly hear people talking across a noisy cafeteria. _Super hearing_. I wasn't sure about that one.

Edward and I had sex last night and it was the most amazing experience of my short life so far. I wasn't sure if that said anything, but it was certainly important.

_Ooh, I know_. Edward had somehow managed to break into my house last night without waking up Charlie and had somehow made it unnoticed into my bedroom. _Stealthiness, maybe?_

Adding all this up I had...

...absolutely nothing.

Or at least, nothing that could be explained rationally. The only conclusion I could come up with was that Edward was a superhero... and maybe Alice was one too, recalling this afternoon.

Rolling over onto my back, I raised my arms up into the air and examined the bruises that marked them. I had meant what I said to Edward earlier. The marks didn't bother me. Of course I had been shocked when I got out the shower this morning, but I had got over that remarkably quickly.

Running my fingers up over my ribs, I slid my hands upwards over my breasts until one cradled my neck, right over the biggest mark of all. Tracing the details of my hickey, I felt a huge amount of pleasure surge through my body at Edward marking me. For me, it was a tangible reminder of everything about the night before that I wanted to remember, despite the haziness of sleep masking most of it.

Feeling a breeze rush over me, hardening my nipples, I frowned. I could have sworn I shut that window. Sitting upright, I gasped, clutching my hand over my heart.

_Edward_.

Well, I guess I now knew how he got into my room yesterday.

The tormented expression was back, another similarity to last night, only this time Edward stalked forward towards me without coercion.

"I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry." One knee was now resting on my bed with Edward leaning over me. He swept my hair away from my face, entwining his fingers in it.

Shivers of need were now racking down my spine. My sexuality may have only just kicked in recently, but it was making up for it now. My body knew Edward's, it wanted it. I needed him.

Edward tilted my head to one side gently before placing an open-mouthed kiss on the mark that he had left. Running the tip of his nose along my skin till it met mine, Edward gently rested our foreheads together. My eyes fluttered shut and my breathing increased.

"I tried to stay away. I really did... and I'm so sorry that I'm weak. But I couldn't. I just couldn't. I needed to be here with you. Please forgive me." Edward's tortured murmur nearly broke my heart.

Rubbing my nose against his, I shifted forward and pressed my lips gently to his. Edward inhaled sharply, his mouth meeting mine halfway on its next pass. We exchanged soft slow kisses for what seemed like hours. Sliding one arm in between Edward's shoulder blades and the other around the back of his head, I used my leverage to drag myself closer to Edward.

Our kisses grew more heated, both of us beginning to clutch at each other's hair, clothes and skin. That beautiful soft pale skin.

As much as I wanted to stay right where I was, kissing Edward forever, I really needed to breathe. Passing out once was just barely acceptable. Passing out twice would just be stupid and humiliating. Throwing my head back, I gasped in a lungful of oxygen.

When I leaned forward again to continue the – beautiful, heavenly – kissing, however, Edward stopped me. Hands on my shoulders, he slowly pushed me backwards away from him.

_Not this again_.

About to complain, I stopped when Edward held up one finger.

"Bella, I think we need to talk."

My heart skipped a beat.


	3. Instructions Not Included

**Ok, so this chapter is being posted really soon after the last to make up for the 3 month wait that some of you had between chapters 1 and 2. I hope this makes up for it.**

**Millions of thanks and hugs to my wonderfully supportive beta Red Summer who stops this fic from being repetitive and incoherent.**

**I don't own Twilight, but if I did it would probably be like this fic.**

**PS. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed this fic, I really appreciate it and, given time, I will eventually reply to them all.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Instructions Not Included**

I wasn't experienced. In no way could I ever be described as having any knowledge of how relationships or sex were supposed to work.

But I did know that the words 'we need to talk' never heralded anything good.

Moving me back against the headboard using just his grip on my upper arms, Edward then shifted backwards, away from me, to perch uncomfortably on the edge of my bed.

The silence was excruciating, but neither of us made any move to break it. I stared intently at my lap, twisting my fingers and sneaking quick glances at Edward when I thought he wasn't looking. He was gazing out my window, periodically running his fingers aggressively through his hair.

"You'll pull it all out if you keep doing that." Great Bella. Brilliant way to start the conversation.

Edward jerked his head around to stare directly at me. "What?"

"Your hair. Um, if you keep running your hands through it like that it'll fall out... and you'll be... bald." I finished my sentence a lot less confidently than I had started it.

Edward continued staring blankly at me and I flushed heavily before breaking eye contact to stare at my legs again. And when had my thighs gotten so huge. Oh god, I hope Edward hadn't noticed my thunder thighs last night. Maybe this was what he had come here to say. Maybe he had pulled back from the kiss because he didn't want me anymore. Maybe last night had been it for me. Maybe he was going to run off instead with someone equally as gorgeous as him with really small thighs.

"My hair won't fall out."

"What?" This time it was my turn to jerk my head up and stare at Edward blankly.

"My hair won't fall out."

"Oh, right." There wasn't much you could say to that.

Silence again.

"Bella, I'm..."

"Edward, I..."

We both broke off. I didn't even know what I was going to say to him – I had only spoken to end the endless quiet. Edward had spoken too though... this meant that he could speak again. I would just be quiet and listen to him.

Edward leaned forward, but remained seated where he was, pressing his palms together almost in a prayer position.

"Bella, I know you said not to earlier, but please allow me to apologise for what I did to you last night." He grabbed my hands from my lap and gripped them desperately between his. His face was earnestly pleading with me to believe his words. "Not just for the bruises, although those are bad enough, but for what I did last night... the way I acted. Please believe me that I never meant to take advantage of you like that."

My mouth hung open as I stared at him completely gobsmacked.

He seemed to take my silence as leave to continue. "I mean, breaking into your room like that and then... Please understand that I would never have assented to such actions if I hadn't believed that you were fully in possession of your faculties. I should have never allowed it to happen anyway. The damage I could have caused. The damage I did cause." He gestured towards my body.

"Don't worry though," he continued. "I won't let it happen again. I won't come near you again. Please accept my apologies for any harm caused." He looked so sincere and so tormented (again). I was torn between wanting to wrap my arms around him, to hold him tight, and wanting to slap him.

I settled for hissing at him. "How dare you? If I want you to go away I'll say. I don't regret what happened last night. You didn't take advantage of me Edward."

"Bella, you weren't able to make conscious decisions last night. You thought you were asleep. I took advantage of you."

He jolted up sharply, startling me, before beginning to pace the floor at the end of my bed. His hands tore through his hair, gripping and tugging at large clumps of it. His mouth moved blindingly fast as if he was muttering to himself, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. One sentence did reach my astonished ears though. "_I'm no better than a rapist_."

"Stop it. Just stop it," I screamed.

Edward turned to gaze at me, completely shocked by my outburst. I have to admit that I was a bit stunned too, but I wasn't going to allow him to beat himself up in this manner. I certainly wasn't going to allow him to liken himself to a rapist! That he could think that of himself just...

My heart ached for him. I couldn't bear the self-loathing that decorated his face and I couldn't explain why. Why I hated hearing Edward talking about himself in that manner, why I couldn't stand to see him suffer, why I couldn't let him leave me alone like he obviously wanted to.

Edward remained at the end of my bed, looking at me curiously, his brow furrowed in frustration. As I watched him, my mind frantically trying to rationalize my inexplicable draw to him, his fingers twitched fractionally towards me before he clenched both his hands into fists.

It seemed that we were doomed to be continually locked in a staring contest. I couldn't help gazing reverently upon him, he was too beautiful for me to look away, particularly now I knew what he looked like, how he felt, intimately. I didn't understand his continued fascination with me.

Closing my eyes briefly I sucked in a huge gulp of air before letting it out slowly. Making sure to keep eye contact with Edward, I lifted one arm up, my hand reaching out to him. Edward stared at it as if it were a snake.

"Come here." I curled my fingers upwards, beckoning him towards me. Edward began shaking his head, about to refuse me, but I wouldn't let him. "Please," I whispered, practically begging. "Please come to me."

Moving slowly towards me, Edward reached out to take my warm hand in his icy grip. I tugged him ineffectually towards me. By now I had both hands wrapped tightly around the one he had given me and despite pulling at him as hard as possible, he remained unmoving.

"Edward, please."

He relented, allowing me to guide him onto the bed next to me. I shuffled forward until we were sat side by side, our shoulders brushing against each other, our hands resting on my lap, his still clasped within mine.

Keeping one hand gripping his tightly I lifted the other to brush over his head, burrowing my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck and gently scratching. "Edward, I'm going to say something now and I need you to listen to me, ok?"

He nodded, almost purring as my ministrations on his scalp continued.

"Ok. First of all, please do not in any way compare yourself to a rapist. You didn't attack me; I'm not your victim. I was awake when we... had sex," I choked out. "I may have thought that I was dreaming, but that wouldn't have changed my actions. I made exactly the same decisions that night as I would have made if I knew that I was awake. I wanted it, I wanted... you. You didn't take advantage of me in any way, shape or form."

"Bella, don't..."

"Edward," I interrupted firmly. Letting go of his hand I cupped his cheek, turning his head around to face me. He looked like he was about to cry. "You did not take advantage of me. You did not rape me. Please don't try and turn was happened last night into something horrible. It wasn't horrible. It was beautiful. Please... you're not a monster."

I was trying not to cry at this point; Edward looked positively devastated.

He twisted to face me fully, cupping my face lightly in his palms, brushing away the tears I hadn't realised had fallen with his thumbs. "Bella..." He hesitated, his jaw clenching as he struggled in the grip of some internal battle. "Bella, you don't know what I am, what I've done. You don't know. If you did you'd see that I am a monster... and what I did to you just proves it."

"No, Edward..."

"_It proves it_. I mean look at you. Look at what I've done to you. Those bruises, those marks... they aren't the kind of marks left by someone good, Bella. And I haven't just hurt you physically either, I've irreparably damaged your reputation as well. Trust me, Bella, I am a monster and you'd do well to stay away from me in the future."

He began to back off from me, pushing my arms away from him and moving to stand up. Faster than I thought I'd ever be able to move I flung myself forward, locking my arms around Edward's neck and clinging desperately to him.

"Please don't go." I buried my face in the crook of his neck and he shuddered. "You're not a monster. You're not. You're not, you're not, you're not." I kept repeating it, hoping that at some point it would sink into Edward's head.

Edward slid back down onto the bed before shifting so that his back was braced against the headboard. Taking my waist he swung me around so that I was sat sideways across his lap, still clinging to him like a limpet.

"You're not a monster, Edward. You're not, you're just not."

Edward took a deep breath before placing a light kiss on the top of my head. He hugged me closer, rocking me slightly to calm me. "Shhh, Bella," he crooned. "It's alright. Please be calm. Please don't be upset over me. It will all be alright."

I tried to gather myself together, realising that I was making a spectacle of myself in front of Edward. Again.

Through my heaving gasps I managed to reply to Edward. "You're not... a monster. You're not. You didn't... hurt me."

"Bella, how can you say that? I've seen your arms. How can you say I didn't hurt you? I bet the rest of your body is just as bad."

I brushed my lips gently across his jaw. "Edward, I have bruises, but you didn't hurt me. You didn't hurt me then and you're not hurting me now. Please understand that. I bruise easily. Please don't go away. This could have happened regardless of how strong you seem to be... which by the way, you've never got round to explaining to me."

I felt Edward tense beneath me. "Bella, can we just... I'm sorry, but it's not... It's not something I can just tell you... Please – it's not my secret to tell. Please don't ask me. I can't tell you. I won't tell you," he finished decisively.

I twisted my upper body to face him, but found the movement awkward. Gathering my courage I braced my knees against my mattress, before swinging my leg across his body so that I was straddling Edward's body.

He hissed and gripped my hips, sliding me back slightly off his groin. I leaned forward so that Edward and I were pressed cheek to cheek, close enough to whisper into each other's ears. Edward ducked his head down to quickly press an apologetic kiss over the hickey he had left on my neck and I shivered at the electric sensation that shot down my spine from where his lips connected with my skin.

"Edward," I began curiously, "what did you mean when you said that you'd hurt my reputation as well as my body?"

He was silent for a long time and I worried that he wouldn't answer me. That he would vanish from underneath me and I would never touch him again.

"Edward?"

"I... My family is very traditional. I was brought up to respect... young ladies, such as yourself. What happened last night..."

"When we had sex," I stated baldly.

"When we... made love," he conceded. "That is the kind of thing I was brought up to believe should only happen between two people who mutually love and respect each other."

"Oh," I said, completely deflated, suddenly very glad that he couldn't see my face; it would have given away too much.

Edward must have sensed my dejection as he suddenly interjected, "Not that I don't respect you, Bella. I do. I just... God, I'm making a mess of this."

"No," I whimpered. "It's alright. I understand what you mean exactly." He was definitely going to run off and leave me for a beautiful goddess with tiny thighs.

"I don't think you do. We've only known each other a short while, Bella. We've had exactly three conversations. I just think..." he sighed heavily, removing one hand from my hip to run it through his hair.

"What? What do you think?"

"I just think that this situation would be less... would be more... proper... if we had had a relationship first. Please understand, I was brought up believing that people should only engage in sexual relations after they are married. I feel like I've dishonoured you."

I shook my head, unable to reconcile his old-fashioned principles with my somewhat limited knowledge of teenage boys. It didn't add up.

I had no clue what to say next. It appeared to me that Edward and I were permanently going round and round in circles; he felt guilty, but couldn't explain his actions to me, and I reassured him, all the while screaming in my mind that I wanted to know what was going on.

I decided action was the way forward.

Mimicking his earlier action I pressed a brief kiss against Edward's neck. Waiting for his reaction, I was rewarded with a swift intake of breath, but no protest.

I marked out a trail of kisses up his neck, along his jaw, back to his ear. "Edward," I whispered.

"Hmm," he hummed.

"Trust me, I don't feel dishonoured."

He immediately began to object, but I hushed him, lifting my fingers to press lightly against his lips.

"I didn't feel dishonoured," I repeated. "Do you want to know how I really felt last night?" I pulled back so that I could see his face and found myself enraptured by the sight of his eyes visibly darkening; the amber slowly swallowed up by the encroaching blackness until only tiny flecks of gold remained.

"How did you feel last night?" His voice was raspy and sent shivers down my spine.

"I felt amazing..." I kissed the corner of his luscious mouth. "...and perfect..." Then the other side. "...and beautiful..." I licked his bottom lip and that wonderful rumbling growl started up again, causing me squirm on top of his lap as the shockwaves from the vibrations pulsed through my body.

"You are beautiful," he swore fervently.

Looking at his face and seeing the sincerity there made it impossible for me to refute his claim. "Edward..." I whispered.

He lunged at me, capturing my lips with his. I moaned loud and embarrassingly at the sensation, but he didn't seem to notice. Instead he took it as encouragement, kissing, sucking and licking with renewed vigour.

By this point I was shifting around frantically, trying to relieve the pressure building within me, and my hands appeared to be fused into Edward's hair, scrabbling against his scalp in an attempt to gain purchase on him. For some reason I decided that if I was pressed as close to him as I could get, he wouldn't be able to run away from me... Again.

Just before I ran out of breath and fainted Edward broke our kiss, pressing his forehead against mine as we both panted for air. His eyes had fluttered shut and I briefly admired the contrast his dark lashes provided as they rested against his pale cheeks.

All of a sudden Edward's brow furrowed and he looked like he was fighting with himself over whether or not to say something. "Bella... you realise we can't take this any further. I can't have you near me... I'm no good for you. Please just let me go without causing any more damage."

I didn't care. I'd love to say that I flew the flag for feminine empowerment and kicked him out for screwing me and my emotions around, but I didn't. I don't know what it was that drew me to him both emotionally and physically, but despite his constant warnings that he was going to leave me no matter what, I couldn't turn down the opportunity to have him again. And this time I was determined to remain conscious enough to enjoy it thoroughly.

"I don't care... I don't. Please Edward... even if you have to go away after... please let me have this. I need to feel you inside me." God, how pathetic was I? Reduced to begging my... whatever Edward was... for sex, although I was rather proud of my new boldness, wherever that had come from. I swung my legs around from his sides to burrow them between his back and the headboard, locking them to keep him from escaping.

Edward opened his eyes, pulling his face back to look deeply into mine. Shifting one arm around my back, his free hand wound its way through my hair to cradle the back of my neck. He shook his head slightly, briefly glancing towards the window and his escape. "I'm going to hell."

I took that as consent and assaulted his mouth again.

I loved kissing Edward. If I didn't have to breathe to survive I would have done it all day. He was equally as voracious in his efforts and I gasped as my head involuntarily flew back. Edward immediately attacked my neck, paying special attention to the hickey he had left there yesterday. For some reason at that moment something clicked in my brain telling me that this was particularly odd. I mean, I've read the magazines; guys are supposed to be into your boobs, your butt or your legs. Edward was into my neck, I mean like _seriously_ into my neck. He was a neck man.

The thought had barely entered my brain before it was brushed aside as Edward dragged my shirt over my head, leaving me in just my bra. Feeling that this was unfair, my surprisingly nimble fingers began frantically plucking at the buttons of his shirt, exposing his hard, pale chest to my hungry eyes. As I pushed his shirt off his shoulders Edward took over, managing to shrug out of his top without removing his mouth from my skin - not that I was complaining.

This was nothing like last night. Last night had been hesitant and slow, with numerous stops and starts as I experienced sex – sex with Edward no less – for the very first time. This time we absolutely tore at each other, and when I say tore, I mean it literally.

My jeans, bra and panties were shredded beneath Edward's hands and he immediately latched onto my nipples, alternating between the two as he lightly sucked and nipped at them. My stomach became a whirling pool of need as my muscles, both inside and out, began to tense and tighten.

I began to shamelessly writhe against Edward's jean-covered cock, hooking my arms over his shoulders to press myself nearer. He lifted his head, letting out a loud half-moan, half-growl that I immediately wanted to hear again. My hips began to instinctively rotate and... there it was, that incredible sensation. Tingles shot through my centre turning my body into a quivering wreck. I was no longer holding on to Edward to keep him close to me; I was holding onto him so that I didn't melt and turn into a puddle of goo.

Edward managed to keep composed long enough to send his beautiful fingers - that I would worship until the day I died - sliding down my torso to tweak at my nipples – eliciting a strange whimpering-grunt from me, before moving even lower to tease my clit with light feathery strokes.

"Edward..." It was meant to be a warning, but sounded more like a squeak.

"Come for me," he commanded.

I shattered, burying my face in his neck as I soundlessly screamed. Edward didn't give me a chance to recuperate though, carefully pushing two fingers inside me as my insides still fluttered with the aftershocks. My body came to life again, surging up against his, before rocking against his hand.

Finally regaining motor-control over my hands I reached for Edward's belt, amazed by my dexterity as it took merely seconds to unbuckle the damn thing. My fingers let me down when it came to unbuttoning his jeans though and I whimpered as instead of getting the real thing I was forced to rub and massage him through the denim.

I whined as Edward removed his fingers, feeling strangely empty without them. Pausing briefly to stick his fingers in his mouth – which oddly turned me on even more – he hoisted me up with the arm around my waist and I felt him moving around underneath me. I was lightly dusting his shoulder with kisses when he lowered me again and I felt bare skin underneath me. I don't know how he got those pants off, but God was I grateful that they were gone.

Our frantic movements were beginning to slow down slightly; our fervour tempered by our mutual need to just _feel_. Grasping my chin lightly, Edward moved my face to his and we shared another deep soulful kiss that made my toes curl. At the same moment I felt his cock brush fleetingly against me, before he began to slowly lower me down onto him.

I whimpered quietly as he first began to stretch me, still a bit sore from losing my virginity only the night before. God, was it only last night... it seemed liked years ago. He paused, clearly torn over whether to continue or not. "I'm fine Edward," I gasped, realising he needed to hear the words. "Just go slowly, ok?"

He sucked my bottom lip between his, murmuring a hushed confirmation. His voice was no longer angelic, it was rough and gravelly. I loved it.

I sighed in relief once he was inside me, relishing the coldness that yesterday had seemed so strange. Edward was breathing heavily, dotting kisses across my face as he waited for me to adjust. I was kind of glad that we were positioned like this. Not only did it allow me to stare interrupted in awe at his beautiful face, but I was also unable to be completely freaked out by the sight of the sheer... enormity of him again.

Wanting him to move I shifted my hips, thrusting minutely against him. Edward got the hint and I praised the heavens vocally as the strong arm around my waist began lifting me up and down his length. Our faces close together, I shut my eyes tightly as I alternated between quietly screaming and babbling incoherently. My hands fluttered across his torso before settling on his shoulders to give myself some leverage.

Our thrusts together weren't as violent as they had been before, but were somehow infinitely more satisfying. I think it was the intimacy... well, that and also being fully awake for this round. Edward was panting in time with every pulse of our bodies, every exhale accompanied by my name causing the corners of my mouth to curl up in pleasure.

My orgasm came out of nowhere; spiralling ripples causing spasms to rack my body. Completely disregarding Charlie's presence in the house, I screamed Edward's name as my nails clawed at him. Edward's release came not a minute later as he shuddered underneath me. Luckily I didn't black out this time and so was able to watch his face as he came. He was magnificent... and I was the one to reduce him to that state.

Soaked in sweat, I collapsed bonelessly against Edward's cool, dry skin, humming in appreciation. He ran his palms slowly up and down my back as he hugged me to him, bringing me back down to Earth gently.

We sat quietly for I don't know how long before Edward placed a soft kiss on the crown of my head and gently lifted me off him, causing me to hiss in discomfort. I felt, rather than heard, Edward's sharp intake of breath and stopped him in his tracks. "If you dare apologise, I'm going to hurt you... badly. I'm fine, I'm not in pain, so don't you dare ruin this for me."

To my delight Edward chuckled at my drowsily delivered threat. "I'll try my best not to," he agreed good-humouredly.

Lifting me off his lap, Edward carefully laid me down next to him and stretched out my legs, massaging the cramps that had developed away. Yanking his arm, I pulled him down next to me and snuggled into his side. It was the most peaceful I had felt for a long time and it had to end. I could already feel Edward beginning to tense up next to me.

"You have to go," I commented sadly.

"Yes." Well at least he sounded as sad as I felt.

"But..." I propped myself up on my elbow so I could see him better. "...can't we at least be friends?" I was still holding onto my hope that we could at least still be close – talk or something. Edward brushed my cheek with his hand and in that moment I hated him, because I already knew his answer.

"Never mind."

I flopped back onto the bed, this time not bothering to move closer to him. Churlishly, I rolled over, turning my back to him as I felt my eyes begin to well up. I would not let him see me crying over him.

"Bella," Edward began, then hesitated. Releasing a long breath he propelled himself off the bed, the change in weight on my mattress alerting me to his actions. "Bella..." He didn't say anything else.

I heard the rustle of fabric as he quickly redressed and scrunched my eyes tightly shut, too slow to stop the single fat tear that slid over my cheek onto my covers.

Suddenly I felt his cool hand begin to run rhythmically over my spine. Confused, I nearly asked him what he was doing before his palm left my skin only to return, smearing something equally as chilled across my back. _Alice's lotion_. He was trying to heal my bruises.

I was certain that he could feel my body shaking as I silently sobbed. Quietly and methodically he covered my body and legs with the solution, rolling me easily over to continue with my stomach, torso, arms and breasts. This wasn't arousing though. It was comforting. It was an apology that he couldn't give out loud.

When he reached my neck he smoothed the lotion over my skin particularly thickly, but left his mark uncovered. I didn't ask why; I wanted to leave it there too.

By the time he was finished I was half asleep, trying desperately to keep my eyes open. Replacing the lotion on my bedside table, Edward slid my covers out from underneath me and tucked me into bed. Too tired, both in body and in soul, to help, I merely watched him from beneath half-lidded eyes.

I don't remember when he left, I had lost my battle with sleep by then, but I did remember his whisper as I drifted away.

"_You're perfect to me_."


	4. Unexpected Competition

**So, here's my latest chapter, hope you enjoy.**

**The Night Before now has a thread up on the Twilighted forums under the Twilight section, courtesy of Aurolyn, so if you fancy checking that out, go ahead.**

**Thanks to Red Summer for being an amazingly supportive beta, I heart you to bits.**

**I don't own Twilight, but I do own the plotline to this fic so please don't swipe it.**

* * *

**Unexpected Competition**

I woke up in pain. The sound of the door slamming as Charlie left jolting me out of my disturbed sleep.

There was the emotional pain. Edward was gone and he wasn't coming back. It was amazing to me that just two nights of insanity could send my life reeling so uncontrollably.

As I lay in bed, rubbing my hands over my face, I fought the urge to just not move; to pull my covers over my head and hibernate until the small piece of my heart that I had already given to Edward was returned to me.

And then there was the physical pain. A persistent ache resonated through my body, running down my bones until I wasn't sure if I was even capable of getting out of bed. It would certainly be a good excuse to stay there forever.

I swung my legs around off the side of the mattress, groaning at the movement as every muscle in my body seemed to tighten in protest. Bracing my arms at my sides I pushed upwards attempting to sit upright...

...only to yelp as a sharp stabbing pain bit into my side, taking my breath away and sending me slumping down back onto the bed. My arms clenched around my waist, trying to relieve the pressure, whilst I struggled to get enough air in my lungs which felt like they were being punctured.

Bracing myself against the pain I rolled off the bed to stand unsteadily on my feet. Edward, thankfully, hadn't replaced my clothing after last night and I was grateful that I wouldn't have to struggle to remove them.

Gritting my teeth, I staggered to the bathroom and practically collapsed into the bath after turning the shower on. I briefly considered the inadvisability of having a shower when I was practically incapable of moving. I've heard the horror stories; I know that you can drown in only a few inches of water.

Exhausted by the exertion of having a shower – where I found I couldn't lift my arms up to wash my hair properly – I leaned heavily against the sink, my white knuckles straining against the ceramic. Panting heavily, I attempted to slow my breathing and reduce the pain.

Opening my eyes I was again struck dumb with horror. Whereas yesterday my body had been littered by lots of small bruises, today I only had one. A wide, pitch-black ribbon curled around the sides of my body, stretching unbroken across my back. The deepest part of the bruise lay against my side, my ribs to be precise, right where most of the piercing agony was centred.

It was shaped like a human hand. Edward's hand. What the...?

I shook my head, tears pricking my eyes, as I struggled to understand what had happened to me, what _was_ happening to me. Grabbing a towel I awkwardly wrapped it around my body, hiding the evidence, and shuffled back to my room, tears streaming down my face.

I stopped... And gaped, my mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Hello." Impeccable as always, Alice Cullen stood in the middle of my room completely motionless apart from her hands which she wrung nervously.

"Hello," I said, not sure what to make of this increasingly strange situation I found myself in.

"I see you used the lotion last night. That's good, it will help with the bruising, well... with the bruising from yesterday anyway."

"What?" I replied, rather stupidly.

"The lotion." She gestured to my nightstand and I looked over to see the tub that she had given me yesterday was now only half-full.

"Oh."

"Look, I..." she hesitated. "Do you need help getting dressed?"

I stared blankly at her for a minute before shaking my head to snap me out of my stupor. Taking a deep breath, which was incredibly painful, I smiled weakly at this girl who had randomly turned up in my room. "Yes please. I'm in a bit of pain at the moment, so some help would be nice, thank you."

Alice grinned quickly at me before flitting around my room, gathering clothes from my wardrobe and chest of drawers. Watching her dumbly, I noticed that she didn't ask me where anything in my room was. Trying to fathom out the latest mystery involving the Cullen siblings was quickly giving me a headache so I decided to just let it go for the moment. I'd think about it when the stabbing pain in my side went away.

"Here." Alice stood directly in front of me and I jumped at her silent approach.

Crouching in front of me she quickly drew a clean pair of panties up my legs and under the towel I was still clutching to me. Embarrassed as I was by having to be dressed by someone else – no not 'someone else', Edward's sister – I knew that there was no way I was capable of bending over far enough to get my underwear and pants on.

Sliding on a pair of jeans, I was brought out of my reverie by Alice tugging on my towel. Unprepared for the strength of her fingers I was caught unawares, allowing her to pull it away leaving me topless in front of her.

A wordless protest escaped my mouth as I struggled to raise my arms up to cover my exposed breasts and Alice tutted at me, giving me an exasperated glare.

"C'mon, Bella, I'm a girl. You haven't got anything that I haven't seen before so there's no need to be so self-conscious. Besides, you'll need to move your arms so I can help you put your shirt on."

With that pronouncement she dragged my arms away from my chest and then froze.

She hissed loudly at the sight of my blackened torso and for a brief moment her reaction frightened me. Every instinct seemed to scream at me to run away from her, yet at the same time I told myself that she wouldn't be here assisting me if she meant to harm me. In fact, her response seemed more protective of me than threatening.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her cold fingers briefly flitting over the hand-shaped mark. She coughed, forcibly clearing her throat before attempting to smile brightly at me. I'm sure that if I hadn't been paying such close attention I wouldn't have noticed the strain across her face or the effort it took for her mouth to curve upwards.

"Um, I've got a button-up shirt for you to wear. I'm don't think with your injury that wearing a bra will be a good idea. Slipping behind me, Alice helped me into my top. Guiding me to sit on my bed, she left me to button up the front while she retrieved my hairbrush from my bag.

Crawling behind me, she began quickly and efficiently detangling my hair. I didn't feel a single tug or snarl as she worked carefully through the knots. "Bella?"

"Yes, Alice?"

"I'd like to take you to see my father."

"Your father?" As I tried to turn and face her my side protested and gripping my shoulders lightly she turned me back around.

"Yes, I'd like him to take a look at your injury, I think you may have broken a couple of ribs."

"Oh joy," I muttered miserably, already envisioning my latest hospital visit.

"Don't worry," Alice chirped, clearly taking my unenthusiastic response as an agreement to her plans. "I promise Carlisle won't say anything about... you know."

"You know," I repeated. "What's there to... Oh." My cheeks were rapidly heating up at the realisation that not only was Dr Cullen Edward's father, he also apparently knew what had happened between me and his youngest son. "Oh my god!" This situation seemed like it couldn't possibly get any worse.

"Oh, you don't have to worry," Alice assured me. "Carlisle won't blame you for anything, especially when he sees those bruises. There." She patted my shoulder as she finished plaiting my hair and secured it.

I whimpered in horror. "Alice, none of this is... It's not... Edward hasn't done anything wrong."

She moved to stand in front of me, gazing down sympathetically. "Edward's done a lot of things he shouldn't have, Bella." Holding up a hand to halt my protest she continued, "At the very least he should never have left you in such a bad condition." She held out her hands and I noticed that while we had been talking she had surreptitiously pulled on and laced up my chucks. "Up."

Gripping her hands and gritting my teeth I stood up, before she helped me down the stairs and into the passenger seat of the silver Volvo which waited on the drive.

"How are the rest of your family getting to school?"

"They're all taking Rosalie's car today. This is Edward's. I figured letting me borrow it was the least he could do."

I simply nodded at this, unwilling to talk to anyone, even Alice who appeared sympathetic, about what was going on with Edward and I.

Alice drove frighteningly fast and we reached the hospital in no time. Helping me out of the car, she placed an arm lightly around my waist and helped me down the hospital corridors, through a coded door and into a hallway lined with offices.

Knocking on a door about halfway down the hall, I was surprised when we were greeted by a laugh and a voice calling out, "Come in, Alice." Had she phoned ahead to let Dr Cullen know that we were coming?

Swinging the door open, Alice shuffled me into the office and shut the door behind us.

Letting go of my waist she gestured towards me. "Carlisle, this is Bella Swan. I think she's broken her ribs."

Dr Cullen sat behind a huge oak desk and as he surveyed me speculatively, I fidgeted uncomfortably. Ducking my head, I noticed out the corner of my eye that Dr Cullen had raised one eyebrow at Alice and she had nodded in reply.

_He knew_. Oh god. Edward's father knew that I had had sex with his son. This was getting worse and worse.

The exchange couldn't have taken more than a second before Dr Cullen stood up and made his way around the desk, clapping his hands together. "Well then, let's take a look shall we, Bella?"

I sat on the armchair in the corner of the office and lifted my shirt up to just below my breasts as indicated. Dr Cullen's reaction to my injuries mirrored Alice's exactly, but at least this time I was prepared for it. He reached towards my bruises before halting his movement, his arms still extended.

"May I? I'm afraid my hands may be a bit chilly."

I nodded in agreement, not at all phased by his announcement regarding the coolness of his skin. It was nothing less than what I now expected from this family.

Dr Cullen's hands prodded and probed around my ribcage, immediately halting any manipulation the minute my body registered any pain.

"Well," he announced, "it looks like Alice was right. You have two cracked ribs, luckily they're not broken."

Alice grinned at both of us. "I told you so. I knew it." Her reaction was so off the wall that I couldn't help but laugh.

"Alice," Dr Cullen warned. Unlike Alice, who was practically vibrating with self-congratulation at being right, her father was looking distinctively uneased by his diagnosis. Noticing my scrutiny he gave me a weak smile. "Well," he said again, "I think as long as these are wrapped up for a while they'll heal up nicely."

Taking a moment to gather himself Dr Cullen returned to his desk and located some bandages and tape in one of its drawers. When he turned back around his face was once again pleasantly blank, no trace of his earlier discomfort remaining.

Getting Alice to hold my shirt out of his way, he quickly wrapped and then fastened the bandages tightly around my ribs, instructing me to continue wrapping them for the next four weeks before coming to see him again to check the progress of healing.

"They'll probably take six to eight weeks to heal completely, but you can ditch the bandages once they're set properly. You can have showers as long as you re-wrap the bandages afterwards."

"I can help you with that," Alice chirped.

"Oh no. You don't... you couldn't possibly..."

"I can and I will." She interrupted my protests seamlessly.

When Dr Cullen was finished he walked over to his desk and scribbled something down. "Here, there's a prescription for some painkillers which will take the edge off of the pain for you. The pharmacy's located on the second floor, so you can pop in and get these on your way out." He smiled kindly at me. "I've also taken the liberty of writing you a doctor's note excusing your absence from school this morning and another for your gym teacher. You should avoid putting any pressure on your body at the moment."

Unsure of what to say I settled for thanking him for his time and received another uneasy smile.

"You're welcome, Bella. It's the least I can do after... Well, I'll see you for your check-up in a month."

Supporting me once more, Alice helped me back out of the hospital, stopping to fill in my prescription on the way. Once we reached the car she popped the lid on the bottle before handing me a single white pill and putting the rest in my bag down by my feet.

"Here. It'll help you get through school today."

I took the pill and swallowed it obediently. By this point I figured it was best to just accept the situation as it was; asking questions obviously wasn't getting me anywhere.

Alice drove us to school in silence and we got there just as second period was ending. The campus was alive with the swarm of students and many turned to stare at us as we arrived together. As we made our way through the crowded corridors I spotted Jasper Hale watching us from his position shifting uncomfortably near a bank of lockers.

Squeezing my hand gently, Alice brought my attention back to her. "He's waiting for me. I'll come by tomorrow morning to help with the wraps though."

I was about to protest once more, but stopped when I saw the look she was giving me. "Ok, thank you Alice. And thanks for taking me to the hospital."

"No problem." She placed a light kiss on my cheek before skipping down the hallway to her boyfriend who received her in his arms with what looked like barely concealed restraint.

Turning towards my Trig class I allowed myself one brief glance back and was surprised to see Jasper looking at me speculatively. Noticing that he had my attention he nodded briefly and, too shocked to do anything else, I nodded back before scurrying away to class as fast as my ribs would let me.

For the second time in two days I found myself collapsing behind my desk completely overwhelmed by another encounter with a member of the Cullen family.

* * *

I hated this. Every single part of it.

Edward had been ignoring me for over a month now and his disinterest was cutting deep into my heart. Although I knew that I could expect nothing better, after all he was a seventeen year old boy who had got what he wanted, I had still hoped that he would change his mind about staying away and come back to me. But he didn't.

I understood that he was worried about hurting me, and given my ribs he obviously had reason to be, and that he had his big secret that he couldn't tell me. For a while I even understood this, but then I began to get angry.

_Who was this boy to fuck up my life so completely?_

He had seriously injured me – even now my ribs were still tender and I had had to rely on his sister – _his sister_ – to help me with regular actions such as having a shower. Alice diligently appeared every morning just as I was getting up and carefully helped me to unwind my bandages, giving me an opportunity to breathe freely and get cleaned up. She would still be there when I finished and she would quietly feed me the latest in a long line of prescription painkillers that gradually decreased in strength as my body repaired itself. Grabbing some fresh bandages from her bag she would quickly and efficiently re-strap my ribcage before lightly pressing a kiss to my cheek and disappearing out of the window.

We never spoke to each other during those times and we rarely made eye contact during school hours, but every now and then she would pass me in the corridors and I would feel a small cold hand reach out to give my own a light squeeze.

I was pissed off that Edward seemed to assume that by keeping his distance he was protecting me. I was miserable, I was in physical pain and I was damn well lucky I hadn't ended up pregnant or with an STD or something.

Yes, that was another indignity that I had to suffer through. Getting checked out by the gynaecologist was never fun, but trying to get my feet in those stirrups when my ribs were screaming out in pain just made the experience even more horrific.

Rationally I knew that forgetting to use condoms was as much my fault as it was his, but screw logic. It was plainly obvious to anyone with a brain that I had been a virgin, so if there were going to be consequences of our liaison they would all be on me. Edward was clearly very attractive – my beautiful boy – and probably had girls throwing themselves at him all the time, Jessica Stanley for one. I didn't know where he'd been or what he might be carrying.

Then there was the issue of pregnancy. Ever since I was little and Renee had imparted upon me the difficulty of having a child at a young age, I had been determined to never find myself as one of those irresponsible girls with two kids on the way while she was barely out of high school. Yet five minutes in Edward Cullen's presence and I was throwing away any principles I had ever had.

However, there was only so much self-reprimanding that I could do, and so my anger turned to Edward instead. He should know better, I mean he was a doctor's son for god's sake. And his family was massively wealthy, you could tell by their designer clothes and cars. He could have left himself open to a paternity case – I could have taken his family for as much as possible and did he think about any of this? No!

And that was the crux of the problem; I was left here by myself with nothing but 'what ifs' going around in my head as to how I could have changed things and what I could do differently. My mind and body were flung into complete turmoil by what had occurred, yet Edward sat at his lunch table with his family every single day looking completely unconcerned, like nothing had happened.

I really wanted to cry.

While my mother had somehow intuitively picked up on my misery over the phone, thankfully Charlie seemed completely oblivious to my inner torment. He had happily accepted my poorly conceived excuse of falling up the stairs as an explanation for my broken ribs and even commented that it was nice of Dr Cullen to make time to treat me.

Suffice to say, the trivialities of normal high school life had completely escaped me, so I was genuinely surprised when Jessica had reminded me that the girls' choice dance was coming up in the calendar and asked if I minded if she asked Mike to be her date.

As Mike and I had barely been on speaking terms ever since I had yelled at him in the cafeteria I really couldn't comprehend why it would matter to me who he went with. Jessica was looking at me with such a pleading expression, however, that I gave my blessing rather more enthusiastically than was needed.

_Go, take Mike. Take him to the dance and keep him far away from me_. Ok, so my bad mood might have extended to others parts of my life as well.

It was with horror though that I found her crying in the toilets the next morning before Trig.

"Jess… Are you alright?" I knocked lightly on the door of the stall.

"Go away, Bella, what do you care?"

Ok, I hadn't been expecting that. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself before I spoke to her. It wouldn't do to lose my temper. "I care, Jess. Believe me, I do. What happened? Are you ok?"

"No." The word was wailed out and I cringed at the high pitch of the sound. "I… asked… Mike… to the… dance… and he said… he said he'd get back to me." Sobbing through the speech Jessica punctuated her sentence with a fresh round of wailing.

"Well that was stupid of him." I wasn't good at this. I'd never really had to console friends over boys before, although my current predicament with Edward had made me more sympathetic as to how upsetting relationships could be – especially when you got your hopes up only to have them smashed to the ground in front of you.

"Jessica, you listen to me. You're smart and you're pretty and any boy would be lucky to go to the dance with you, even if Mike can't see that."

"Really?" Her curly hair appeared around the stall door and I winced at the sight of her mascara-streaked face.

"Really. Now let's get you cleaned up so you can face Mike looking your best and show him what he's missing."

Jessica shrieked at the sight of her make-up and immediately dove for her bag, scrambling to repair the damage her tears had wrought.

"I think he's waiting for someone else to ask him, you know?"

"Hmm," I mumbled, not really paying attention.

"You weren't planning to, were you?" Jessica was now eyeing me in the mirror, wand in hand. "'Cos if you were you could have just said when I asked."

"Jessica, I'm not going to ask Mike to the dance. I don't want to go to the dance. I don't want to date Mike. You're more than welcome to him."

"Thanks, Bella." Jessica threw her arms around me and I awkwardly hugged her back. Linking her arm in mine she propelled me down the hall to Trig. I was too stunned by her change in attitude to do anything but tag along quietly, while she chattered on confidently about how she was sure that Mike would accept her invitation now that she was sure that he wouldn't be getting one from me. Amazed by her quick change of heart I merely hummed and nodded in agreement at the required moments.

Lunch was a bit awkward. Mike had not yet fully accepted Jessica's invitation and she was taking the opportunity to flirt with all the boys at the table to show him what he was missing. I had my head down like usual, picking at my food and sneaking glances at the table where the Cullens sat.

When I eventually stood up to make my way to class it took me several seconds to realise that Mike was following me. _Oh god, not now_. I was really not in the mood for this.

I was even less thrilled when I got to class and saw that Edward was already seated at our desk.

Deciding to ignore both boys I took my seat, flung my bag on the table and began rooting around inside for my textbook and pens.

Mike sidled up to the desk, perching himself alongside me and I attempted to inconspicuously shuffle my seat away from him… which put me closer to Edward. Great.

"So, Bella, Jessica asked me to the spring formal."

"I know, she said. I think you'll both have a really good time together." I knew I was laying it on a bit thick, but I wanted Mike to just understand that I wasn't available… in any way… to anyone.

"Oh." Mike was clearly stumped. "I just thought that there might be a chance that you… would ask… me." He finished the sentence hesitantly, obviously confused by my easy dismissal. "I think we would have a lot of fun together if we went."

A loud cracking noise rang out, interrupting Mike and making both of us jump.

We turned to look at my lab partner who was staring steadfastedly towards the front of the class. Mike immediately shrugged off the noise but my attention wasn't so easily diverted.

Edward's body was so tense that if he weren't so still I would have expected him to start shaking. He reflexively swallowed as his pitch black eyes refused to move from the blank whiteboard. His fists betrayed his loss of control though as they clenched around a large wooden shard clearly snapped straight off of the table. What was left of our lab desk was covered in deep gouges, almost as if he had dug his fingers into the surface.

"So, what do you think?" Mike's hopeful voice sliced through my perusal and I turned to face him impatiently.

"I think you'll have a great time with Jessica, so you shouldn't keep her waiting for your answer anymore. It's rude."

"Are you going with someone else?"

By this point I think my mouth was hanging open in surprise at Mike's persistence. What business was it of his anyway if I chose to go with someone else? I didn't answer to him. And it's not like the one boy I would ask if I had the courage to do so would say yes anyway.

"No. I'm going to Seattle that weekend, it's already all arranged." My excuse was lame, but it was the best I could come up with on short notice. I cursed my inability to lie convincingly.

Any further conversation was halted by Mr Banner's arrival into the room and I had never been so glad to see a teacher in my life. Returning to my previous book search I was shocked when a cold hand suddenly shot out to grip the wrist that was buried in my rucksack.

Edward's hand was firm, but I could feel the slight tremor of his fingers as he fought to restrain his strength. When I looked at him though he seemed confused by his actions, as if he couldn't quite understand what his hand had done.

Jerking his hand back as if he was burned, Edward folded his fists under his arms, crossing them tightly.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Sorry. _Sorry!_ What was _that_ all about? This boy's actions were getting stranger and stranger, yet despite my intentions to remain aloof I found the mystery that surrounded him fascinating.

When class finished Edward stuck to his usual routine of zooming out of the door as soon as the bell rang, leaving me to follow my usual routine of staring at him in amazement before slowly following his footsteps out the door.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur and I was still cursing the fact that Dr Cullen's sick note for my ribs had ended the day before we started basketball in gym when I walked out to the parking lot to find Eric Yorkie waiting by my car.

What followed was yet another awkward conversation about my 'date' for this damned dance. No, I'm not going to invite you to the dance; no, I'm not going to the dance at all; yes, I am going to Seattle that weekend; no, Mike wasn't lying when he said I was going away.

I winced as Eric walked away, head hanging down like a whipped puppy, and I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him. After all, it wasn't his fault that I was so crabby today. No, the honour of that went to the bronze-haired god who was currently glaring daggers into the back of Eric's head from his position near the cafeteria.

I shivered at the look of pure fury on his face and for the first time I understood why Edward had tried so vehemently to convince me that he was no good. His gaze was almost predatory and suddenly switched across the lot from Eric to Tyler, who was making his way over to the used Sentra which had replaced his wrecked van.

Shaking my head I clambered up into my truck, relishing the feeling of safety I got from being inside the impenetrable steel. Pulling out into the line of cars waiting to leave the school grounds I saw a flash of black pass by my windshield as Alice ran gracefully across the lot, slipped into the Cullens' Volvo and reversed out directly in front of me before waiting, engine running, for her siblings to arrive.

Frowning, I beeped the truck horn at her and in return she rewarded me with an airy wave in the mirror. What was she up to?

By now Edward had stalked over to the driver's seat, family in tow, and was gesturing and waving angrily at his sister, who appeared to be refusing to get out of the car. I leaned forward slightly before realising that my actions were ridiculous; they were too far away for me to hear so I didn't know why I was bothering to try.

A knock at the window of my truck jolted me out of my spying and I turned sharply, jarring my ribs, to greet Tyler's grinning face.

"Sorry Tyler. The Cullens have got me boxed in at the moment." Now go away so I can resume spying on them.

"Nah, that's alright. I wasn't coming to talk to you about that anyway."

Oh dear god, no!

"I was thinking that it would be cool if you…"

Don't say it!

"…invited me to the dance with you."

Aaaarrrggghhh! Why couldn't they just leave me alone. I was seriously going to cry with frustration in a minute.

"Bella can't go to go to the dance with you, Tyler. Sorry."

That voice. That rich honeyed voice was back, and so was its owner. I watched completely amazed as Edward squared up to Tyler in the parking lot. People were already starting to point and stare and whisper, but I didn't care. Edward was here, so surely that meant…

I paused, my elation crushed. It didn't mean anything. Not now anyway. Edward probably had just seen my annoyance and decided to rescue me.

"We're going to Seattle that weekend, so you'll understand why we won't make it back on time."

The lie just tripped off his tongue and I found myself jealous of the way he managed to bluff himself out of the situation. I wanted to be able to do that.

Tyler slouched back to his car, obviously taking Edward's words at face value given that I didn't reject them.

Sitting there stunned, I barely noticed Alice speed off in the Volvo or Edward move round the front of the truck to swing himself into the passenger seat. I sat and I stared and yet I still couldn't comprehend what had just happened.

"Uh, Bella? There are people waiting to leave."

His reminder that I needed to move spurred me into action and I drove blindly towards my house, ignoring my passenger the entire journey and stumbling through the front door to collapse on the sofa. My mind was working so hard at that moment that I wasn't even sure it was functioning properly anymore - like I had short-circuited or something; the information going in, but my brain unable to unscramble it.

Leaning back against one of the sofa's arms I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs to hold myself together.

A small non-descript noise alerted me to Edward's presence in my house. He had followed me in and was now watching me cautiously from the doorway. Locked in a stare-off I fought to find words to describe what I was feeling.

"_What the hell was that?!" _

Ok then. Not quite as controlled and well-thought out as I intended.

Edward appeared to be as unprepared for my outburst as I was and I relished the fact that I had caught him off-guard, no matter how unintended.

Seeing that he didn't appear to have any explanation for his behaviour I continued.

"I mean you say you're going to stay away from me, but the second someone else asks me out you what... decide to mark your territory? Telling Tyler we're going to Seattle together, when not two hours before you couldn't even stand to look at me."

"Bella, I…" Edward's hands were now frenzied in their attack on his hair and as much as I wanted to go over there and sooth him, I also wanted answers.

"Bella, what? You can't keep doing this to me, Edward. I don't know…"

He was across the room in a flash, hands diving into my hair as he interrupted my tirade with a searing kiss.


	5. Conversation Is Key

**So here's chapter 5, once again I hope it's worth the wait.**

**Thanks millions to RedSummer who betas this for me and thanks to the WC and twitter girls for their encouragement and the kicks up the ass to get me to write.**

**I own nothing except the plot, SM owns everything else.**

* * *

**Conversation is Key**

**BPOV**

His kiss was exactly as I remembered: passionate, all-consuming and tinged with desperation. And that desperation was what allowed me to pull back from him, regaining clarity.

I shoved at his shoulders, turning my face sideways so he could no longer reach my mouth. "Edward, get off."

He was across the room in a flash and I blinked at the speed with which he moved. That tortured look was back and as much as I wanted to sympathise with him, I also wanted to slap the expression off his face.

I realised that I was still half-sprawled backwards across the sofa where our momentum had carried us and I scrambled to sit upright and salvage some dignity and composure. Once again I drew my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, as if my limbs could shield my body from the coming conversation.

"I'm sorry." His voice was croaky. His hands had retaken their previous position tugging at his hair.

I bit my lip and looked away. He could dazzle me so easily and looking at him would only make me feel sorry for him. I couldn't make this about how he felt; I had to make it about what he did to me, about how he treated me.

"What are you sorry for, Edward?" I had meant to sound angry, assert my words clearly, but they just came out as tired. I was tired of this all, I just wanted answers now and then I would climb into my bed and hide under my covers for the rest of time.

Edward slumped next to the wall, sliding down until his knees were drawn up, his elbows propped up on them. "For so many things. For too many things."

And I was back to being angry. I just wanted him to admit what he had done, to tell me that he did it all for a reason. In all honesty I just wanted him to tell me that I wasn't just a one, or two as it were, night stand, that being together had meant as much to him as it did to me. I took my rage out on him.

"Ok. Well how about we start with you breaking into my house in the middle of the night? And then we'll move onto you having sex with me...twice. What about my cracked ribs? Or the fact that your _sister_ had to come and make sure that I was alright." I stood up as I ranted, gradually stalking forward until I was standing over him, almost shouting down at him. "Oh, and then there's the small fact that you've ignored my existence completely for the last month. And now what?! You think that you can make decisions for me about who I date?! You have no right! You don't get to decide that for me! _You_ chose to ignore me. _You_ chose to stay away. That means you have no say in whatever or whoever I do. If I want to go on a date with Mike Newton then I will. If I want to sleep with...Tyler Crowley then I can."

"No you fucking well can't! You're mine!" His roar practically deafened me and I stumbled backwards as he propelled himself upright to loom over me.

As soon as he saw my flinch Edward backed away, leaning back against the wall again. I slumped onto the sofa, shocked by his outburst, but also by my own childishness. I'd deliberately taunted him in order to get a reaction and he had certainly given me one.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "I had no right to say that. You don't...You're not..." He seemed to struggle with his words. He took a deep breath before swallowing heavily. "If you want to do any of those things then you're...perfectly entitled to. I shouldn't have implied otherwise." The words were delivered through gritted teeth.

Leaning forward, I buried my face in my hands. I needed a moment to think, I couldn't concentrate. Most of my anger had left after my torrent of words earlier. I was back to wanting answers. Maybe if I could be given some explanation, then I would be able to move past it all, to get over Edward. But while my curiosity was left unsatisfied then I was left to stew in my own juices.

"Just tell me what's going on, Edward." I felt so very tired.

"I can't."

"Damn it Edward!" Picking up the nearest object – a vase I'd bought in an effort to feminize my father's house – I threw it at him. Of course being me the vase didn't even reach him, falling two foot short of the mark and rolling forward to stop at his toes.

"Ok, how about we start at the beginning – we've already talked about that first night, so let's not go over that again. It's done, we talked about it, it's fine. So what happened that second night?"

"I told you I couldn't stay, that if we...slept together I would have to leave. You said that you were ok with that."

"Well I lied," I screamed, my hands clenched in fists by my sides. "I thought it would be alright, but it wasn't and I said that I would be fine, but I'm not."

Edward stared at me helplessly and I attempted to gather myself so that this conversation could continue.

"Sorry...sorry." This time it was my turn to apologise. "I shouldn't have screamed like that."

Edward shrugged at me. "Don't worry about it."

I smirked briefly and shook my head before looking up at him. He still looked incredibly tormented only the guilt from before was now back as well. "Edward, can you sit down please? I don't want to have to keep staring up at you."

He moved uncomfortably to the armchair and lowered himself into it. The difference between him sitting in that chair and Charlie sitting there struck me as mildly amusing.

We sat there quietly. He seemed unable to break the silence and I didn't know what to say or where to start. Leaning backwards I felt a small twinge in my ribs.

"How are you feeling?"

"What?" I snapped.

"Are they hurting?" He gestured towards my torso and I wondered how he was able to tell that my ribs were aching. I hadn't even flinched.

"No," I answered succinctly. "No thanks to you. I'm lucky Alice decided to help me out."

He visibly winced at my berating. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"But you did." I felt a tear run down my cheek and wiped it away impatiently. I hadn't even realised that I was crying. "Your _sister _had to help me, Edward. I had to go and stand there in front of your _father_ and have him know what had happened. And you weren't there."

Pushing himself off the armchair, Edward shuffled towards me on his knees until he was directly in front of me. Raising his hands he carefully moved to cup my face, stroking my angry tears away with his thumbs. "Please don't cry, Bella. I didn't want you to cry."

I jerked my head back and lowered my face. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward lower his arms back down to his sides.

"When I hurt you before, with the bruises...sometimes I forget my own strength. As much as I wish you hadn't, you saw what happened with Tyler's van." He hesitated and I struggled not to press him to continue. If I was going to get answers then I needed to keep my mouth shut and let him talk. "And then that night I knew that it had to be the last night...no more...and my control just slipped. You're so fragile and I have to be so careful with you. I forgot not to grip you too tightly and I wrapped my arm around you and..."

His eyes were now on the floor, avoiding my questioning gaze. "I sent Alice round the next morning because I was worried about you and I had promised myself that I wouldn't come here and be weak again. I knew that you would have bruises, but I didn't know how bad it was until Carlisle told me. I'm so sorry, Bella. I really didn't want to hurt you."

Considering his explanation, I remembered the words I had used to reassure him after he had flipped out over my bruises before.

"_You're just strong, Edward. Accidents like that will happen."_

Although I was still pissed off with him, my anger was more based around the fact that he had left me in pain _and_ alone, rather than just in pain.

"And staying away from me?" I prompted.

"I was...trying to keep you safe. I've already hurt you, Bella, and I can't guarantee that I'll never hurt you again. Physically, I could tear you apart by accident and that terrifies me...and it should terrify you too. I'm just not good for you, Bella. You deserve better."

My fingers reached out of their own accord and stroked down his jaw-line. "You should really let me decide what's best for me, Edward."

He lifted his head. "I won't apologise for trying to keep you safe."

I scowled at him. "So if you're so determined to protect me from yourself then why did you interfere today? Why couldn't you just leave me alone to deal with Mike and Tyler and Eric? You should've just left me alone if you're so resolved to stay away."

He rocked back onto his heels so he was crouched in front of me. "I don't know why I couldn't leave you alone, Bella. I just knew I couldn't let you...I just...I'm far too selfish. If I was a better person then I would just stay away and you could date a nice normal human boy. But I'm not, so I can't."

I considered what he had said for a moment. "So you're saying that if you were normal, if you weren't dangerous, if you were human, then none of this would have happened? Or would you just not have slept with me in the first place?"

"Why did you say that?" He was suddenly keenly alert, scrutinizing my face.

"What?"

"If I were human? What makes you say that?"

"You said that I could date a normal _human_ boy, implying that you're not human. I mean I didn't think you were after...everything, but you just confirmed that. I'm now just trying to work out what you are."

"I wish you wouldn't. I shouldn't even be here; I should have stayed away."

"Do you want to be here?"

He scowled at me. "That's got nothing to do with..."

"It's got everything to do with it, Edward," I interrupted. "Do you want to be here?"

He stood up and walked over to the window, staring out into the garden. "It doesn't matter what I want."

"No, Edward." I pushed myself off the sofa and crossed the room to his side. Grabbing his shoulder I attempted to pull him round to face me. "Edward, look at me."

He turned slowly.

"Edward, forget what you should and shouldn't be doing, and what's right and safe and normal. Forget about all of that. Forget the sex and the injuries. Do you want to be here?" I hesitated before adding the next part – my innate shyness nearly holding me back. "Do you want to be...with...me?" I punctuated the question with a blush and bit my lip nervously. I had sounded so logical in my head, so calm and considered. Yet I couldn't even ask if he might want to be with me without experiencing a full-body flush.

He met my eyes with his own. "Yes. But I really shouldn't..."

"No." I raised my hand to press against his mouth stopping him from going any further. "You want to be here, that's all I needed to know."

I stood there awkwardly for a minute before realising that my fingers were still pressed to Edward's lips and his eyes were rapidly darkening in what I'd come to recognise as a sign of his lust. Jerking my hand away I staggered back over to Charlie's armchair and sat on my hands, which were still tingling from the contact with his skin. Edward remained by the window and a part of me was glad about that. It was probably best that he kept his distance for a bit.

I needed to think. I needed to decide what I wanted and I needed to decide what I was going to do about it. Edward liked me. Edward wanted to be here, he wanted to be with me. He'd also hurt me and left me and sent me spinning into turmoil.

So the big question then became what did I want?

I wanted Edward, but I didn't want the drama and I didn't think that I could cope with anymore. My emotional stability was hanging on by a thread.

"How about..." I paused and then began again. "How about we try to be...friends?" My voice stuck on the last word. I wanted to be more than friends, but it wasn't healthy for me to be feeling that with the relationship as it was.

"Friends?" He sounded just as reserved about the concept as I was.

"Yeah. We can be friends and...talk and stuff. I just think we've thrown ourselves into this...whatever," I waved my hand, "and it's all gone wrong. So maybe you could be here – where you want to be – but we could just get to know each other."

"Bella..." His hands were back to raking through his hair. No matter what he had said before, he really was going to go bald if he kept doing that. "You know there are some things I just can't tell you. Not because I don't want to, but because it's not safe, for you or for me and my family."

"I know, I know." I was quick to reassure him. "And I won't ask, but I want you to know that I still want to find out and I will if I can."

He looked bemused by my pronouncement, but nodded, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly at my determination.

"So..." I had no clue what to say or what to ask. I sat there stupidly, trying to find something to talk about since I had been so insistent upon conversation. Edward was no help; he just stood there, looking perfect, elegant hands running through that crazy, copper sex hair.

...and this was why I couldn't look at him. I didn't want to have my mind stripped of reason. I wanted to talk, and if that meant I had to stare at the floor then the carpet just got a whole lot more interesting.

Unfortunately, in my desperation to find something to say, I abandoned all sense of delicacy.

"I'm not pregnant."

His eyes shot up to my face and at that moment my mind realised what my mouth had just said. My cheeks burned hotly and I wanted to sink into the armchair. Maybe if I prayed hard enough I would magically submerge underneath the upholstery and become at one with the foam stuffing.

"I beg your pardon?"

His voice was perfectly polite but I couldn't help flinching at the sound of it. Chancing a glance at him, I saw that one eyebrow was raised questioningly.

"Um, I just wanted you to know that I'm...not...pregnant." This blush was never going to go away, but it needed to be said and I'd never wanted to be a coward. "And I'm clean too...I got myself checked out...after."

He still looked confused.

"We didn't use condoms," I clarified.

"Oh, right." He cleared his throat and shuffled uncomfortably. One hand removed itself from his hair to rub awkwardly at the back of his neck. "Um, you don't have to worry about that...the pregnancy. I can't father..."

"Oh." I didn't know what to say to that, and was shocked to find that I was just a little bit disappointed. "I'm sorry."

"I've known for a long time now." His words were rueful.

Again silence.

I thought about how it must feel to know at such a young age that you could never have children. I mean, I wasn't particularly maternal and quite frankly after spending most of my life looking after Renee and now Charlie I wasn't in any hurry to become a caregiver again. I liked knowing that I had the option though. It was one thing to choose not to have children, but to have that decision taken away from you...I would probably be incredibly resentful. Edward didn't seem resentful though, just resigned.

Edward cleared his throat suddenly and it jolted me out of my thoughts. "And you don't have to worry about that other stuff either. I've never..." His voice wavered. "You were the first. The only," he corrected quickly.

"Oh," I said again. A small smile crept across my face. I had been his first and his only, just like he had been mine. In body, at least, Edward was mine. "Well good. It's good that that's not a problem."

"Yeah," he agreed.

"And I don't think we should have sex." Again with the word vomit. "I mean, if we're going to be friends, I think we should just be friends. No...yeah."

"So we'll be friends, we'll talk a lot and we won't have sex?" He was far too amused for my liking and I scowled at him.

"Laugh all you want, Edward, but you're not the one who constantly gets fucked and then left." My eyes returned to the floor, my sight blurring slightly at the edges as I willed myself not to cry again.

"Bella?"

I ignored him.

"Bella? Love, please." Edward moved so that he was kneeling in front of me again and gently encased my fidgeting hands within his. "I'm sorry. Please understand that this is all strange for me too. I have no clue what I'm doing. If it would make you feel comfortable to have me agree to not having sex with you then I will, but please try and understand that I would never want to cheapen what we did or disrespect you."

I surveyed his face, noting the sincerity splashed across his expression. "You speak very eloquently, Edward, but please try to understand that pretty words won't make up for the fact that you hurt me. You decided to stay away from me and now I have to decide to keep you at a distance. I can't think properly when you're around and so I need you to give me time to get everything straight in my head."

"Of course," he agreed immediately.

"So, I think for now you need to go and I'll see you at school tomorrow."

He nodded wordlessly and stood up, his motion leaving me with a rather interesting direct view of the crotch of his jeans. I blushed and looked away. He headed towards the door and I surreptitiously watched his ass as he walked away.

A sudden thought occurred to me.

"Edward?"

He stopped and turned to face me.

"What do we say at school tomorrow?"

He frowned at me.

"You said to Tyler that you were going to Seattle with me. By tomorrow it'll be round the school. What will I say to everyone? I mean, it's not like we're dating or anything."

Edward looked distinctly unhappy at this reminder of our non-relationship. He took a step towards me and then stopped.

"Bella, I know we said we would talk and be friends, but..."

He hesitated and my heart skipped a beat as my mind seized on the terrible possibility that he didn't want to be friends. That he had changed his mind and now wanted nothing to do with me.

"...I would like to ask your permission to court you."

My ears weren't working properly. Had he said that he wanted to court me? Like old-fashioned taking walks and calling upon me courting?

He shifted his feet slightly and I realised my silence was making him uneasy. I opened my mouth to reply but nothing came out. Edward Cullen wanted to court me?

He hurried to fill the quiet. "I mean I know I've being doing this all wrong and I know we've already passed a lot of the normal stages of relationships, but if you don't mind I would very much like to court you. Um, take you on a date," he corrected.

"Alright." My answer was short, my brain had short-circuited.

"Alright?"

"Yes." I smiled shyly. "I'd very much like to go on a date with you."

He smiled, looking relieved, and the expression lit up his face. He should really look like that more often. Or maybe that wasn't such a good idea. I could just picture his grin sending all the girls at school swooning.

I was beaming back, my smile so wide I could almost feel the corners of my lips cracking at the movement.

"So, um, tomorrow?"

"Oh right." He paused for a moment, deep in thought. "How about you just say that you are going to Seattle the day of the dance, but that I only said that I was coming with you because my sister sent me over to rescue you?"

"I guess that might work."

That smile wasn't going away. "You underestimate Jessica. If you confide in her that you don't want the attention then she'll be happy. She'll feel more important as you're taking her into your confidence and I can guarantee that she'll be on your side. If you tell her that, by the end of the day the whole school will know and you won't have to justify yourself or anything that's happened with me to anyone."

"You really think that'll help?" I asked sceptically.

"Jessica's...enthusiastic, but she's not malicious. You saved her from embarrassment over Newton today and she's going to want to repay the favour."

"Jessica's my biggest supporter now?" I couldn't get my head around it.

"There's more to some people than you might initially think, Bella." He sounded like he was lecturing me, so I took the opportunity to turn the conversation back around.

"Like you and your family? There's more to you all than you'd like other people to think."

"And I wish you wouldn't try to find out what that is."

"But you know I will." I tilted my head up, glaring at him defiantly.

"But I know you will," he acknowledged ruefully. He glanced towards the door. "I should go now. Your father will be home soon and I don't think he'll appreciate coming back to find me here."

I nodded slowly. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?" I hadn't meant to make it a question but for all I knew between now and tomorrow Edward could change his mind about us.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he confirmed, disappearing out the front door.

As soon as he was gone I missed him and ran to the door he had just exited through, bashing my hip on the table on the way. But when I got to the porch, he was already gone. I peered down the street. I couldn't see a car and hadn't heard one pull away, but Edward had completely disappeared from sight. I guess it was just another mystery related to him that I would just have to try and solve.

Shaking my head, I walked in a daze to the kitchen and began fixing dinner. Five minutes later my father got back and I marvelled that Edward had timed his exit so perfectly. We ate in silence before Charlie left to watch a game in the lounge. I cleaned up, my mind functioning on automatic, and then headed upstairs.

"Bella. Can you come back down here a minute please?"

I was halfway to my room when he called and immediately froze. _Oh god. He knows something, he must know._

I warily entered the room, eyeing Charlie as he sat casually in his chair.

He glanced over at me. "Just wanted to remind you not to forget tomorrow."

_Tomorrow. He knows about tomorrow. How does he know about tomorrow? Edward and I only decided to be friends this afternoon._

"Tomorrow?" I parroted.

"Your appointment with Dr Cullen? He was going to check that your ribs have healed properly."

"Oh right." I giggled slightly hysterically and Charlie's brow crinkled in response.

"Have you been sleeping alright, Bells? You seem a little on edge lately."

I had to think fast. "I guess I'm just not used the rain and the strange noises yet. My sleep has been a little off."

He didn't look like he believed me but let it go. "Well, why don't you try and have an early night? It'll probably do you some good."

"Ok," I agreed. Reaching the bottom of the stairs I halted. "Dad?" I called.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for reminding me about the appointment."

Stumbling up to my room, I barely made it into my pyjamas before I collapsed on the bed, completely exhausted. The talk with Edward had taken a lot out of me and I now felt like I could sleep for years.

Wriggling under the covers, I closed my eyes and tried to empty my mind. The fact that I was practically vibrating with excitement for tomorrow really didn't help and in the end it was sheer exhaustion which pulled me under.

I dreamt of Edward.


	6. Tentative Beginnings

**So, first of all I feel like I should apologise for the three month wait between updates for this fic, but unfortunately sometimes RL takes precedence. This chapter is the longest I've written though if that makes up for it.**

**Thanks to my wonderful beta, Red Summer, everyone should go check out her fic My Family and I, and to my power-WC supporters, SunKing and tiffanyanne3, couldn't have done it without any of them. Big thanks also go to AmeliaCullen and amydee who purchased two outtakes from The Night Before during FGBEclipse. Cheers ladies.**

**SM owns everything, I own nothing except the plot.**

**Hope you enjoy reading this.**

**Tentative Beginnings**

**BPOV**

I woke up feeling off the next morning, like there was something important that I was supposed to remember but couldn't. Stretching, I was pleased to notice that my ribs no longer protested at the movement and I was confident that when I saw Dr Cullen he would proclaim me healed.

Dr Cullen...

Edward!

Edward had come here! We had talked...well, I had talked at him. We had decided to be friends.

He had asked to court me.

I giggled at the memory, clutching my pillow to my chest. It was such an old-fashioned concept for someone of our age, yet it was surprisingly charming.

I was going to be courted. Edward wanted to ask me on a date and, despite our problems and the issues of secrecy surrounding him that still hadn't been resolved, I was looking forward to it.

I was going to go out on a date with Edward Cullen.

Edward Cullen didn't think I was only good enough for sex; he wanted to court me as well. Obviously we had to take a step back and try being friends first though.

But even that thought couldn't damper my excitement; the grin on my face couldn't have got any wider.

Practically bouncing out of bed – and glad that no-one could see my abnormal enthusiasm – I made my way to the shower, humming happily.

Thinking about Edward and our conversation yesterday though brought another issue to the front of my mind – Jessica.

From what he had described yesterday, she could be a possible ally and good friend, who only wanted to be in the loop as to what was going on. If Edward could be believed – and I had to trust that he could, that he wouldn't lie to me again – confessing all to Jessica would secure her support and friendship.

I wasn't sure what to think of that. I wanted to believe that that would be the case, but I had thought that I had the measure of Jessica by lunchtime of the first day of school. She was a gossip; she only liked me for the attention it could bring her; she was just another bitchy wannabe.

It discomforted me to think that maybe I had been just as judgmental as I had considered her to be. I didn't want to be that kind of person. Edward had said that there was more to some people than I thought, maybe he was right.

Which led me back to the plan - confessing all to Jessica and praying that she would believe me and help me in concealing it from the rest of our classmates, minimizing the gossip.

Surely it wouldn't hurt to try? I could at least give her a chance, rather than writing her off immediately.

My mind made up, I dressed quickly in jeans and a button-up shirt – I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't have to strip off too much for the examination this afternoon, especially seeing as Edward was coming with me to this appointment.

Not like he hadn't seen it all before though.

Making my way to school, I noticed that the Cullens' car was already in the lot, although I couldn't see any of them hanging around. My good mood dipped a little when I realised that Edward wasn't there, but I rationalised that even if he wasn't waiting for me, he had asked me out.

We _were_ going to go on a date.

Jessica was there though, waiting by the steps leading up to the main office, bouncing impatiently on her toes. She waved frantically at me when I got out of my truck and I tentatively raised my hand in response.

Slamming the door to the cab, I accidentally stumbled forward and dropped my keys into a puddle. _Damn it!_

Before I'd even thought about picking them up, someone else had – a pale hand scooping them from the rainwater and holding them out to me. I knew that hand and that hand knew me, intimately.

"I didn't see you there." I grabbed the car keys, suddenly shy again, despite everything that had already happened.

"Maybe you're exceptionally unobservant, Bella."

My head jerked up to berate him for the perceived insult, only to find him grinning at me. Finding myself momentarily dazzled by the brilliant look on his face, I blushed, my gaze immediately retreating back down to my feet.

"How are you today, Bella?" His voice was quiet, concerned. "Are you alright after yesterday?"

"I'm fine," I threw him a small smile, not daring to look him in the eyes in case I turned into a gibbering idiot. "Are you still coming with me when I go to see your father this afternoon?"

"I was planning on it, yes."

"Oh right." My mind went blank and I couldn't think of anything else to say.

Luckily, Edward didn't have that problem and filled in the silence for me. "Jessica's dying to speak to you before class. You should probably go over there," he paused. "Unless you want the whole school to speculate about me warning Tyler off yesterday."

I scowled at him. "That wouldn't have even happened if you hadn't lost your temper."

"Yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck, smirking, "sorry about that." He was completely unrepentant.

"Edward..." I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Alright, I'm sorry that I embarrassed you and exposed you to gossip, but I'm not sorry that he's not going to bother you anymore." I glared at him and he tried again, this time with more sincerity. "I'm sorry."

I couldn't stay mad with him, as much as I wanted to; I'd used up all of my anger and irritation last night.

"Don't worry about it." I took a deep breath. "I suppose I should go and talk to Jess now."

"If you want to speak to her before the bell rings, yes."

"Right, see you later." I gathered myself mentally before making my approach.

"Bella," Edward called before I had gotten three steps away. I turned back to him. "I'll meet you here by your truck after school to go to the hospital."

I frowned at him. "What about your brothers and sisters? How will they get home?"

"Alice is going to drive them back in my Volvo. It's not a problem."

So obviously the rest of the Cullens were aware of what was happening. I wasn't sure what I thought of that. "Ok then," I nodded. "I'll see you then."

"Actually you'll see me in biology." He smirked at me again.

I didn't reply, choosing to stomp away from him before he wound me up and I snapped at him.

"Hey, Bella!" Jessica was still bouncing; I didn't know where she got her energy from.

"Hi, Jess," I replied weakly, bracing myself for the onslaught. "How are you today?"

My question momentarily diverted her attention. "Oh my God, Bella." She reached out and grabbed my arm, shaking it excitedly. "You'll never guess what's happened." She paused, before shaking me again, nearly rattling my teeth. "Come on, guess."

"Um..." I carefully looked at her beaming face and then it clicked in my head. "Something about the dance?"

"Mike phoned me last night and said he would go with me." She shrieked happily and I smiled back, her good mood infecting me. "He said that he was sorry he didn't give me a proper reply yesterday and he didn't want me to think it was anything to do with me, but that he'd thought about it and realised that he really wanted to go with me and he said he thought we'd have a really good time and I'm so looking forward to it." She shrieked again and I laughed.

"I'm really happy for you, Jess. I know you really wanted to go with Mike. I guess you'd showed him yesterday, right?"

"Absolutely." She bounced forward to hug me, squeezing me tightly and I patted her awkwardly on the back. "He must have seen what he would be missing if he didn't go with me and that made up his mind."

She paused to take a breath and then eyed me speculatively. "Speaking of jealousy, I heard Edward Cullen went all psycho on Tyler in the parking lot after school yesterday, just because he asked you out to the dance." She thought about that for a moment. "Which technically isn't fair seeing as it's a girl's choice dance. He should have waited for you to approach him." She nodded decisively as if she had imparted some great wisdom to me.

I looked straight back at her, praying that this conversation wasn't going to happen.

"Well?" She prodded.

"Well what?" I pretended obliviousness.

"Don't _well_ me." She slapped my arm playfully. "You and _Edward Cullen_. Together. Going to Seattle!" She nearly yelled the last part. "Since when have you two been together?"

And now I had to trust that Edward knew what he was talking about last night.

"We're not..."

"Oh, come on," she interrupted scornfully. "I don't buy that."

Looking around at the students beginning to flood the campus, the vast amount of which were staring in our direction, I grabbed Jessica and steered her towards a free picnic table, away from prying ears.

"Ok," I began. "We're not actually together and we're not going to Seattle together. I'm going by myself, like I said before."

"But Tyler said..."

"Edward lied to him," I interrupted quickly.

"What?" Jessica looked scandalized.

"Alice Cullen noticed that Tyler was bugging me about the dance after school and so Edward came to rescue me. He knew I was already going to Seattle...alone...so he said he was coming with me to warn Tyler off. You know, implying that we were together and stuff. Then he got in my truck and I drove him round the corner to his car and we went home...separately," I added, when it looked like she was going to say something.

"Really? He said that just so Tyler would leave you alone?" She considered it for a minute. "That's really nice of him."

"It is." I blushed and Jessica grinned at me.

"You like him."

I looked at her aghast. "What? Tyler?"

"Ack, no," Jessica waved a hand dismissively. "I totally get why you had to be saved from _him_. Last year, when it was the girl's choice dance, he asked Lauren to go with him and when she said yes, he stuck his tongue in her ear in the middle of the cafeteria. It was gross. No, I mean Edward. You like Edward."

"I do," I admitted. "But we're not together and we're not going to Seattle together."

"But you'd like to?" Jessica pressed.

"Yes," I admitted in a small voice. "Jessica, please don't tell anyone, it's embarrassing and I don't want everyone to know."

"Who can blame you, Bella; I mean, _Edward Cullen_," she breathed. "Even I would happily dump Mike for Edward Cullen." She giggled. "No wonder you aren't interested in any of the other boys in school."

"I'm serious, Jess, please don't tell people," I begged. "It's not something I want spread around the school."

"Sure, ok." She nodded seriously. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

I hid my face, which had turned bright red again.

"So, if he said that he would go with you to Seattle, and he meant it, would you want him to?"

"Yes," I blurted out straight away and this time when Jessica giggled, I laughed too. "I would love to spend more time with him."

"Well, from the looks of it this morning, he wouldn't mind spending more time with you either."

The bell rang and we both groaned.

"I need to go to English." I hesitated for a moment. "Jess, do you promise not to tell people about Edward?"

"I promise," she swore solemnly. "But...can I tell people about the fact that you needed to have Tyler scared away by him just so he'd stop harassing you?"

Well, what do you know? Edward was right.

"Sure, absolutely."

Jessica hugged me again. "Oh my God, this is so exciting. Edward Cullen. You know we have to try and get him to notice you, right? Maybe if you wore something a little bit lower cut. When we go shopping for my dress for the dance we can get you something nice to wear." She eyed my cleavage as we began to walk to class. "And maybe a Wonderbra to go with it."

"Jessica!" I folded my arms defensively over my chest.

"Oh come on, Bella. My mom always says that you're only as good as your underwear and yours clearly isn't doing anything for you, but that's ok. We can sort that out."

She continued to ramble about the secret powers of push-up bras and I listened, half-fascinated and half-horrified.

Luckily, her ramblings were cut short by a need to get to class, but I was still in shock by the time I made it to my seat in English.

For once, I wasn't bothered in class. Eric ignored me, still smarting from my rejection yesterday, and Mike was creepily quiet. He perked up on the way to Trig though and invited me on the group outing to La Push beach that he was planning. I vaguely recalled him mentioning a beach trip before, but at the time I had been too consumed by thoughts of the beautiful boy who had slept with me twice and broke my ribs to pay much attention.

But now...maybe it would be nice to spend some time down at the beach; get some fresh air, maybe some perspective.

Perspective which abruptly disappeared the second I reached the cafeteria for lunch with Jessica later on and saw that Edward wasn't sitting at the Cullens' table.

Swallowing heavily, I trudged to the queue behind Jessica, unreasonably upset.

He wasn't there.

I mean, I knew that he'd said he would see me in Biology, but I had thought... I didn't know what I'd thought.

I grabbed a bottle of lemonade to tide me over, not being able to face the thought of food.

"Bella, Bella," Jessica was hissing at me, jabbing me sharply in the ribs to get my attention. I sucked in a breath as her elbow dug into a sensitive spot, sending a sharp pain soaring through my body. At this rate she was going to re-break my ribs.

"Stop poking me. Your elbow hurts."

"Yes, but Bella, Bella, look," she whispered and then spun me around to face the rest of the room.

I stared blankly at the students. "What am I supposed to be looking at?"

"Honestly." She rolled her eyes at me. "Look." She pointed towards a corner of the room and once I saw it, I slapped her arm down.

"Don't make it too obvious, Jess."

Edward sat at a table by himself, across the cafeteria from the rest of his siblings and he was watching me and Jessica with an amused look upon his face. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to kiss it off or slap it off.

"No." She spun me around again. "Look. He's beckoning to you. He wants you to sit with him. Go over there."

Edward did indeed have one hand raised and as I watched he curled his fingers – oh God, the things those fingers could do – upwards. One side of his mouth was curled into a crooked grin and I felt myself blush as I took him in.

This whole going-back-to-being-friends thing, when I knew him in _that_ way, was harder than I may have first realized when I made that condition last night.

Jessica pushed me sharply in his direction and I tripped forward. When I turned to glare at her, she made little shooing motions, before whispering loudly to me. "Don't worry; I'll cover for you back at the table."

I walked slowly towards where Edward was sat, feeling the weight of Jessica's stare on my back, watching every move I made.

I stopped in front of him, watching him curiously. "Hello."

"Hello," he smiled at me. "Do you want to sit with me today?"

I blinked at him.

"If, of course, it wouldn't ruin the wonderful story that Jessica's been cooking up all morning about how Tyler Crowley's a stalker and you're his latest victim."

"She's been telling people that?" I asked, horrified.

"Not exactly, but it's one of the versions of what happened yesterday that I heard this morning. You should be happy; no-one suspects a thing."

"Wouldn't sitting with you ruin that?"

"Well, yes," he waved his hand, unconcerned. "Then people might actually think that we did like each other."

"And you like me?"

The grin disappeared. "You know I do... more than I should." His voice was quiet, earnest.

I hated the sadness I could hear in his words. "If you promise not to start that again, then I'll sit with you."

It was amazing how much his smile lightened up his face – he was so heartbreakingly beautiful. That look was capable of reducing me to a dazed idiot. "Deal."

I slid into the chair facing him and we sat and watched each other cautiously for a minute.

"Not hungry today?" He nodded towards the table, empty except for the lemonade bottle.

"Not really." I bit my lip and his eyes darkened at the movement. I squirmed in my seat and tried to break the sudden tension which had fallen over us. "You neither."

"No, but I had a large breakfast." He snickered and I got the feeling that he'd just made some kind of joke that I didn't get. "You should really eat something, you need to keep up your strength. Wait here."

He got up quickly and I spun in my seat to watch him walk to the food counter. I wasn't the only one; half the cafeteria had their eyes on him...and me, unfortunately.

Striding back with a plate in his hand, he placed it in front of me before taking his seat again and stretching out his legs. His feet brushed against mine; I shivered.

"You really should eat that."

I glanced at the slice of pizza. "Is it really that crucial that I eat?"

"It is to me. Please, Bella." He leaned forward, one hand on the table, so close to me. "I need you to be well, even if it's just making sure you're taking care of your body properly, getting the right nutrition."

"Alright," I whispered back, unable to say anything else when he was looking at me like that.

I felt self-conscious eating in front of him, he appeared to be fascinated by the action, but the pizza was gone quickly enough and I twisted the cap of the bottle off to wash it down with the lemonade.

Edward quickly grabbed the bottle cap, spinning it between his hands.

"You're kind of intense, you know?" I said the first thing I thought of and then blushed at my candour.

"Is that a bad thing?" He frowned slightly, a small line appearing between his eyebrows.

I thought about it. "No, not necessarily. Just... intense. You seem to worry a lot for someone our age."

"For someone my age," he echoed, his crooked smirk back.

I shook my head at him. "Is that funny?"

He shrugged at me and I huffed.

"You know, I agreed to not ask you to explain yourself to me, but it would help if you didn't keep making these little references that I don't get. It just makes me more curious."

"But like you said, you won't ask."

"I said I wouldn't ask you for an explanation, I never said I wouldn't try to find out for myself."

Edward swallowed heavily. "Please don't, Bella. I wish you wouldn't."

I leaned forward and rested my arms on the table, my hands dangerously close to his. "Don't worry, at the moment the only theory I've got is that you're some kind of Superman or something." I paused. "Possibly Alice too."

"Superman?" He looked intrigued by the idea. "Like flying and kryptonite and stuff?" He laughed out loud and although I was the target of his amusement, I loved that he was happy.

"You're fast, you're strong, you're sneaky, you can climb through my second-floor bedroom window without breaking any bones in your body," I listed. "And your eyes change colour when..." I bit off the rest of that sentence, not comfortable finishing it in this setting with so many people watching and trying to listen in.

Some stuff was private. I blushed again.

We had moved closer together as our conversation progressed and now our faces were directly in front of each other, close enough that if I moved just the tiniest bit, I would be able to kiss him.

He sat back.

"Trust me, I'd never be Superman." He appeared to be struggling with what to say next. "I'm not the hero, Bella. I'm the bad guy." He looked like he was going to continue further, but then stopped himself.

I couldn't get what he was saying straight in my head. He wasn't the bad guy; he'd saved me, I knew he wasn't.

But what if there was something else? Something more...

"You think you're dangerous?" Even as I said it, it rang with truth.

He leaned forward again, but this time not as close. "Bella, if I wasn't, do you really think you'd have an appointment with my father today?"

Discomforted, my arms slid around my ribs, my hand coming to rest exactly where the blackened imprint of his palm had marked my skin.

"Ok," I conceded. "So you might be dangerous." I rested my hand on top of Edward's for a second, before sliding it away, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. "But you're not bad."

He smiled weakly at me. "There are those who would disagree with you."

"Maybe, but that's what I think."

"You're too kind sometimes, Bella. It's not safe for you to think like that."

The corners of my mouth turned up sadly. "You're too hard on yourself sometimes, Edward."

"See, this is what I'm saying – too kind by far." He glanced around the room quickly. "You need to get to class."

I looked around; while we had been caught up talking the cafeteria had slowly emptied itself. I stood up; Edward remained where he was.

"Are you coming?"

"No," his answer was considered. "I was thinking I might ditch Biology today."

"Oh. If I tried to ditch I'd probably get caught."

"Probably a good thing that you don't try it then," he offered.

"Probably." I shuffled my feet awkwardly, not wanting to say goodbye. We were alone in the room now, everyone else having scurried off. I didn't want to leave him alone when he was in this kind of mood though.

Without thinking about it, I stepped forward to where Edward was still sat, watching me, and cupping his face just below his jaw, I pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"You're not bad, Edward. You couldn't be."

His eyes were closed when I stepped back and wheeling around, I practically ran to Biology. I didn't want to see the look in them when they opened.

Turns out I should've followed Edward's example and stayed away from class.

The second Mr Banner held up the packet of indicator cards I knew what today's lesson was all about: blood-typing.

Taking shallow breaths, I attempted to control my aversion to the blood that was now running down my classmates' fingers. I wondered if Edward were in class, if he would have got a big a thrill out of stabbing my finger as everyone else seemed to be having.

Stumbling to the front of the room, my head wheeling, I caught the teacher's attention.

"Can I go to the nurse please, Mr Banner?" My voice trembled as I asked.

He looked at me sharply. "Do you feel faint, Bella?"

"Yes, sir." _Please, just get me out of here._

"Alright. Mike, please take Bella to the nurse's office."

Mike walked towards me and all I could see was the smear of red across his hand.

"No. He's... there's blood." My vision swirled in front of me. "Please, I can go by myself."

Mr Banner stared at me suspiciously before relenting. "Very well then."

I practically crashed out of the classroom door, bile welling up in the back of my throat. I had never been very good with blood, the smell made me nauseous, but to nearly faint in class...

Making it outside the science building, I heaved in the fresh air, trying to stop the world from spinning. I sat down heavily, unable to walk any further under my own steam. The pavement was cold beneath me and I slumped over, closing my eyes, to rest my face against the cool surface, stopping the sweat that had broken out on my brow.

"Bella, are you alright?" The concerned voice came from far off and I briefly wondered if I had fallen asleep here on the ground and was dreaming of Edward again.

It was only when I felt a cool hand stroking along the side of my face that I realised he was really here; I wasn't just imagining him.

"Bella?"

"They had blood typing in Biology today. I really don't like blood." I recited what had happened numbly.

His hand continued to brush my hair out of my face and my tensed body relaxed slightly. "Are you supposed to be out here?"

I nuzzled his hand blindly. "I'm supposed to be going to see the nurse, but my legs got wobbly and I couldn't get that far."

"Right then." He moved his hand away and I whimpered quietly at the loss of contact.

Suddenly he slid one hand behind my shoulders and the other underneath my knees and hoisted me up easily. I shrieked and slid my hands up his chest at the movement to lock around his neck.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking you to see the nurse, of course."

"Please don't carry me," I begged. "I'm going to throw up on you if you keep rocking me like that."

Extending his arms out steadily in front of him, Edward continued to walk effortlessly, not even showing the strain of my weight.

There was that super strength again.

Shouldering the doors to the main office open, he swept into the sick room, disturbing both the nurse and Ms Cope.

"Bella fainted during blood typing in Biology," he explained smoothly, not waiting for the question. "I'm supposed to stay with her."

Laying me down gently on the cot, he kept one hand on my shoulder – I wasn't sure if the contact was supposed to reassure me or him more.

The nurse ran off to fetch me an ice-pack and I smiled as I considered suggesting just having Edward lie on top of me instead.

"What are you blushing for?" Edward's voice was laced with interest.

I flushed again. "Nothing really."

He grunted noncommittally. "You're sheet white, Bella; even paler than me. I almost mistook you for a corpse."

"Very funny."

"It is funny – I can't believe you faint at the sight of blood. It's not even your own."

I gritted my teeth. "I don't like the smell."

He scoffed at me. "Humans can't smell blood."

"Well, I can," I stated belligerently. "Like rust or something."

There was silence for a beat. "You're a very unique girl, Bella Swan."

I looked at him suspiciously. "By unique do you mean strange?"

He chuckled. "Just remember that you said it, not me."

I couldn't help but laugh too.

The door to the office swung open the nurse appeared, followed by Lee Stephens, who looked as bad as I felt and was being propped up by Mike.

"Bella, you might want to leave the office, there's blood." Edward quickly lifted me up again and moved us out into the reception – my eyes were already blurring again as my head swam.

Lowering me to a seat, I tilted my head back against the wall and closed my eyes.

I could hear Ms Cope quietly asking Edward if I was ok and his velvety voice explaining the situation to her. I concentrated on his quiet murmurs, trying to bring some clarity back to my mind.

My concentration was broken however by Mike's less musical, more nasal tone.

"Are you ok, Bella?"

"I'll be fine. Just keep your bleeding finger in your pocket please. I think I might faint otherwise."

"What's Cullen doing here?" He sounded angry and I opened my eyes to see him scowling.

"I nearly collapsed outside; he helped me get over here."

"I could've brought you over, but you said no." He was like a spoilt child, stomping his foot when he was put out.

"I didn't know that I would be that bad," I snapped. "I thought I'd be fine by myself."

"Alright." He raised his hands up in protest and I gulped at the sight of the dried blood on his hand. "I brought your coat and bag over for you."

My ire disappeared slightly. "Thank you, Mike."

"Will you be in Gym later?"

I groaned at the thought. "Not if I can help it." I really couldn't bear the idea of being forced to run around given the way I felt right now.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then and at the beach on Saturday, right? You are still coming?" He was persistent, I'd give him that.

"Yes, I'm coming. I said I would, didn't I?" I knew I was being harsh, but I wasn't in the mood to pander to his bruised ego.

"Everything ok here?" Edward's question was a welcome interruption.

"Yes," I practically shouted. "Mike was just leaving to go back to class, weren't you?"

Mike mumbled under his breath before stomping out of the office and slamming the door behind him.

"Is there something wrong?" Edward inquired mildly.

"No. Not really. I don't think so." My reply was confused.

"Oh good." He grinned at me and again it shocked me. In all my time surreptitiously watching him, I had never seen him smile so much. I liked it; he should do it more often. "Let's go then." He held out his hand to me.

"Go where?" I asked mystified.

"I've sprung us from jail," he announced. "As you're feeling ill, there's no point in you staying for Gym and I'm coming with you to see my father anyway, so Ms Cope says we can leave now."

He turned to wave at the red-headed receptionist and she waved back, her face turning as bright as her hair.

I slapped his arm as he held the door to the building open for me. "That was mean, you know."

"What was mean?" Edward frowned at me as we walked towards my truck.

"That!" I gestured backwards. "With Ms Cope. You dazzled her."

"I dazzled her?" He stopped walking and I turned to face him.

"Yes. With the waving – the poor woman didn't look like she knew what to think."

Edward narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing me. I fought not to fidget under his gaze.

"Are you jealous?" He finally asked, amused.

"What?" I was astounded. Did he want me to be jealous? Of Ms Cope? "No!"

He shrugged.

"But it's not fair to embarrass her like that; did you see her blush?"

"You blush when I talk to you?" He didn't seem to get it.

"Yeah, but I have a reason to blush. I keep imagining you..." I bit my tongue before I could inadvertently blurt anything else out. I could already feel the tell-tale heat spreading through my skin.

My embarrassment wasn't helped by Edward's raised eyebrow. "When you keep imagining...?"

"Oh, shut up." I turned my back on him and hurried over to my truck, cursing my big mouth. I could hear Edward's low laugh behind me.

Grumbling quietly, I unlocked the truck, jerking the door open. Climbing into the seat, I shrieked when I was lifted up and deposited into the passenger seat, Edward sitting beside me.

"What are you doing?"

"Bella, you just nearly fainted. I'm not exactly going to let you drive now, am I?"

"I feel fine now."

"You're shaking, I can see it." He clicked his fingers and held out his hand.

Wordlessly, I dropped the keys into them. I could feel myself trembling slightly, but it wasn't obvious and he shouldn't have been able to tell that. I just chalked it up to another mystery surrounding Edward.

He winced as he started up the truck, the engine protesting at being forced to come to life. My Chevy was probably a lot different to drive than his Volvo – a bit less smooth; perhaps our choice of cars was indicative of our personalities. I was definitely less smooth than Edward, but then, most people were.

We drove silently for a few minutes, Edward clenching his jaw every time he had to change gears.

"We'll probably be at the hospital early," he broke the silence. "But I'm sure Carlisle won't mind if he's not busy. I think he's got a slow day today provided no emergencies come in."

"Why do you call him that?" I asked, wanting to know more about him and his family. "Carlisle?"

Edward stifled a laugh. "Because it's his name?"

"No." I swivelled in my seat so I was facing him. "You call him by his first name, you don't call him Dad."

"Do you always call your parents Mom and Dad?" he questioned.

"No," I admitted, ducking my head. "I mostly call my mom 'Mom', but a lot of the time she's just Renee. I think she prefers it that way, seeing as she was a young mother. And Charlie's been 'Charlie' to me since I became a teenager."

"Well, how come you call your parents by their first names then?"

"I don't know." I thought about it. "Maybe because I never felt like I was the child and they were the parents. My mom's always been very youthful for her age and she's really scatterbrained, half the time it felt like I was looking after her. She was always off on one harebrained scheme after another." I smiled fondly at the memories.

"And your father?" Edward prompted.

"I didn't grow up with Charlie. It's like we're two adults who now live together, rather than a parent and a child. Not that he doesn't love me," I hastened to add, "but he's not used to having a daughter and so we're just...muddling along."

"And you moved to live with him because your mother got remarried to Phil?"

I was impressed at his memory. "Yes. Phil's younger than my mother and I think he makes her feel much younger too. They suit each other very well. I'm a bit more level-headed than Renee."

"But you approve of her match?" Edward asked intently.

I thought before I answered. "It's not for me to approve or disapprove. He's who she's picked. He's who she's in love with and I'm happy for her; I would never want for her to be alone."

He quirked a small smile, but it looked slightly rueful to me. "Do you think she would extend you the same courtesy – accepting whoever you chose to love?"

He looked nervous.

"I guess so. I'd like to think that she'd want me to be happy, even if she didn't necessarily approve, but who knows." I shrugged.

Edward nodded contemplatively.

"So what about you? Why don't you call your parents Mom and Dad?"

Edward sighed. "I presume you already know the stories about my family?"

"I've heard them, yes."

"Well then, you know that myself and my siblings are all adopted. Carlisle and Esme were very generous to take us all in and while they fulfil their parental duties, they are only my adoptive parents. They understand that."

"How long have you been with them?"

"A long time now, sometimes it seems like forever," he laughed, but it sounded hollow.

"And your parents?" I almost felt rude for asking.

"They've been gone for a while."

"I'm sorry," I offered, reaching out to rest my hand on top of his.

There was a beat and then he twisted his hand round so that our fingers were intertwined. We were holding hands.

_I was holding hands with Edward_.

"It's ok. Carlisle and Esme have been very good to me over the years."

"You love them," I stated.

"Yes." He took his eyes off the road to look at me for a second, then they flickered forward again. "Here we are."

I was shocked to find that we had gotten to the hospital a lot faster than I had imagined. Obviously Edward drove quicker than I thought.

Stopping the truck, Edward was out of his seat and opening the passenger door before I could blink.

"Shall we?" He extended his hand out and I took it, smiling shyly at the contact. Chancing a quick glance at Edward I noticed that he looked just as awed by the connection as I did. We almost looked like a couple.

Leading me through the same corridors as Alice had before, we were soon outside his father's office. Edward knocked lightly on the door.

The equally musical voice of Edward's father rang out from behind it. "Come in."

Holding the door for me again, Edward beckoned me in and I slipped into the room.

Dr Cullen smiled at me from across his desk. He looked a lot less tense than the last time I saw him.

Edward stepped slightly in front of me; it almost looked like he was angling his body to be between mine and that of his father. "Is this a good time, we got out of school early as Bella wasn't feeling too good?"

"Of course. Hello again, Bella," the doctor smiled congenially, raising himself out of his seat. "Nothing too serious, I hope."

"No," I said. "Just feeling a bit fragile at the moment."

"They were blood typing in Biology today," Edward explained and I hissed his name at him. Just because I fainted at the sight of blood, didn't mean that I wanted everyone in the world to know.

"I wouldn't worry if I were you, Bella," Dr Cullen consoled me. "We all have our weaknesses...even Edward."

They exchanged a look that I didn't understand, but then, I was coming to expect that.

"So then," Dr Cullen clapped his hands together. "Shall we take a look at these ribs for you? You'll need to lift your shirt up again, I'm afraid, so we can get a nurse in here to make you more comfortable if you'd like and Edward will leave, naturally."

"No!" It was a sharp growl. "I'm not leaving her." Edward looked furious, glaring almost murderously at his father and in that moment I could understand why he insisted that he was dangerous.

"Edward!" Dr Cullen's rebuke was quiet, but effective. "You will not remain in this room if it makes Bella uncomfortable to have you in here."

Edward turned his eyes imploringly to me.

"It's fine," I stuttered. "He can stay. And I don't need a nurse, it's fine."

Dr Cullen looked unhappy at Edward's silent coercion. "Only if you're sure?"

"Yeah," I nodded more firmly. "It's only going to be a quick examination, right?"

"Of course. I'm just going to check that the bones have set properly and then you're good to go. Presumably you haven't had any problems recently with pain or movement?"

"Nope. I've been good," I declared.

Dr Cullen observed me for a second before coming to a decision. "Alright then, if you could just lift up your shirt like before."

I held my top up, baring my skin. Edward was watching me intently, increasing the tension in the room. I held his gaze, spellbound.

The second Carlisle touched my skin though that spell was broken. Edward jerked forward, sinking into a half-crouch and growling.

I was shocked into stillness, my heartbeat rapidly increasing, but Dr Cullen continued to poke and prod at my ribs calmly, not seeming to find anything wrong with his adopted son's behaviour.

"If you can't control yourself, Edward, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I won't have you scaring my patient."

Edward immediately raised himself up from his crouch, but moved closer to me, repentant. "I didn't scare you, did I, Bella?"

"No, I'm fine," I refuted, but my shaky voice gave my nerves away.

_What was that?_

That...what he did, that was almost animalistic. I didn't even know humans could growl like that.

"You'll have to forgive Edward," Dr Cullen soothed me. "Sometimes he forgets how he should behave." Although this was delivered in a pleasant tone, he shot a harsh look towards his son as he said it and I saw Edward sigh and then nod in response.

It might have sounded crazy, but it almost seemed like Dr Cullen was sending a secret message of some sort to Edward that I couldn't hear. I was rapidly getting tired of that.

With one last prod at my ribs, Dr Cullen drew away and I lowered my shirt. "Well, Bella, it looks as if you're all set – nothing to worry about. Obviously if you find you end up with any problems you're more than welcome to come back. I'm sure Edward or Alice will be happy to come with you again."

Another pointed comment. At this rate, I was going to have to start a list to keep track of all the clues being thrown at me.

"Are we done here?" Edward was nearly vibrating where he stood.

"Bella and I are, yes," Dr Cullen confirmed. "But I'd like to speak with you, if you have the time."

Edward rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Of course. Let me just walk Bella out to her car and then I'll get back to you."

Dr Cullen looked sceptical, but when he turned to me again that look was gone and his face was perfectly, pleasantly blank again.

"It was very nice to see you again, Bella. I'm glad that you've healed up with no problems."

I smiled weakly. "Nice to see you again too. Thank you for agreeing to treat me. I really appreciate..."

"Bella," he held up his hand, interrupting me. "Forgive me, but it was no trouble. I was happy to do it considering that it was Edward who... Well, it's all sorted now anyway." He attempted to smile at me, but it was more of a grimace.

"Thank you anyway."

Edward moved even closer to me and pressed his hand lightly against my lower back. He seemed anxious to leave. "We should get you home now."

"Ok," I replied softly. "Bye, Dr Cullen."

"Goodbye, Bella."

And then I was being swept back down the corridors and out to my truck.

"Are you alright, Edward?

"Of course." He had that maddingly blank look across his face again and I realised that he must have picked it up from his father. "I'm sorry I lost my temper back there."

Losing his temper! I inwardly scoffed. Is that what that was?

"Why did you? I don't get it." All this confusion was making my head hurt.

Edward shook his head, as if he were trying to clear it. "I don't know. I just didn't like him touching you." He seemed utterly perplexed by the notion, so I decided not to press him and moved onto a different issue.

"Your father appeared angry."

"That's not with you though. He's still not happy with me." Edward grimaced.

"Because of what happened with me?"

"Don't worry about it, Bella. He knows you're important to me. It won't be a problem." He paused. "You should probably go home."

I decided to spare him for once and follow his lead. "Yeah, Charlie will want to know how it all went." I stubbed my toe into the ground. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Unfortunately not." Edward sounded as sad about that as I felt when I heard it. "We're supposed to have some dry weather, so Emmett and I are going hiking for the weekend, at Goat Rocks Wilderness. I'll be back on next week."

I felt unexpectedly devastated at the prospect of such a long separation, despite Edward and I not really spending any time together in the last month.

"So you're not coming to the beach with us?"

Edward smirked, but it was twisted somewhat. "I don't really think that I was invited. Besides I'm not a fan of La Push beach, it's far too crowded." He chuckled quietly at something, but I chose to let it go for now.

"So I'll see you next week then?" I asked.

"I'll be there," he confirmed. "Just... Bella?"

"Yes?"

"Can you try not to injure yourself or get hurt or anything while I'm not there to rescue you?"

I glared at him. "I'll do my best."

He laughed at me a little, but then grew serious. "Bella?"

"What?" I snapped.

"Can I... May I kiss you before you go?" He looked so anxious to be asking that question.

I leaned forward wordlessly, allowing him to capture my mouth with his. Our lips moved together slowly, as if we were relearning each other, this time without the spectre of sex hanging over us.

Sucking my lower lip lightly between his, he drew back fractionally, allowing me to catch my breath, brushing his mouth lightly against mine before drawing away.

We both sighed at the loss of each other and I blinked my eyes, which had fluttered shut, open. He was staring down at me almost wistfully.

"Bella," he whispered. "Can you please take care of yourself this weekend?"

I nodded wordlessly and cupped his face in my hands, pressing a final kiss to his mouth. "I'll see you on Monday."

Climbing into the cab of my truck I looked over to Edward only to find that he was already gone, like he had vanished into thin air.

Shaking my head, I turned the engine on.

Just another mystery to do with Edward Cullen.

Typical.


	7. If Truth Be Told

**Hope you enjoy this latest chapter. I will warn you in advance that for plot purposes, it does follow very closely to the corresponding chapter, 'Scary Stories', in Twilight. That couldn't be helped, but the fic will veer back to our lovely parallel world before long.**

**Thanks to everyone who continues to read and review. Thank you to my beta for this, Red Summer, who's completely awesome, and cheers to my WC girls, SunKing, venis_envy, glitteratiglue and AlverdineFF, who made sure this chapter actually got completed this year.**

**As always, I own nothing except the plot. Thanks for reading, I hope you like it.**

**If Truth Be Told**

**BPOV**

School the next day was boring, with nothing happening to occupy me from my thoughts of the strangeness that was Edward.

He'd actually growled at his father - growled, like he was about to attack him any second. I mean, I'd already worked out that he wasn't entirely human, he'd dropped enough hints to that effect, but to be presented with such animalistic behaviour was shocking...and ever so slightly arousing.

He'd growled when we were together too.

But I had to put all thoughts like that out of my head, especially when surrounded by curious classmates wanting to hear all about my fainting episode in Biology yesterday.

After teasing me mercilessly about it, Jessica pulled me to one side at lunch. "So, how did it go yesterday?"

"Yesterday?"

"Um, hello – lunch and your appointment with Dr Cullen. _Edward_," she emphasized.

"Oh, that. I think it went alright. He wants to get to know me better, so that's a good thing, right?"

"Oh my God." Jessica's eyes were incredibly wide. She was fidgeting in her seat and I knew that if she was standing she would be jumping up and down. "That's... that's..." She was speechless, a first for her. All of a sudden she let out a high-pitched squeal, causing the rest of the table to jump and stare curiously in our direction.

"Sssshhh," I chided.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Just... You do know you're like the only person outside of his family that Edward Cullen has ever looked at for more than two seconds, right? And he likes you." She squealed again. "This is soooooo exciting. I'm almost jealous."

"Almost?" I arched an eyebrow at her.

"Well, it _is_ Edward Cullen. I would be stupid if I wasn't a bit jealous." She grinned at me and I returned her smile, amused by her candidness. "Anyway, I'm going to the dance with Mike now, I can afford to be happy for you."

I burst out laughing at her pronouncement and she beamed at my amusement. We were getting some strange looks from everyone else at the table, although I did notice Angela giving me an arch look. Maybe we weren't as subtle as I thought we were.

"Are you seeing him again soon?" Jessica asked, biting down on a celery stick as she waited for my reply.

"I don't know." I frowned. "He's gone camping this weekend with his brother and I don't know when he'll be back or if he'll want to do anything with me when he is."

"I'm sure he will. I mean, he wouldn't have said he'd go out with you if he didn't mean it." Jessica's reassurance was welcomed by the part of my mind that still doubted Edward's attraction towards me, fuelled by the long silence between the two of us.

"Thanks, Jess."

"No problem." We both smiled before we were interrupted by Mike.

"What are you two talking about down there?"

"We're talking about what we're going to do down at the beach tomorrow," Jessica lied smoothly.

Was I the only one around here incapable of lying convincingly? It certainly looked like it. I pouted.

Mike on the other hand looked inordinately pleased by the false topic of conversation. "Yeah, it'll be totally awesome." He proceeded to expound upon the greatness of La Push beach and I tuned him out, my mind wandering away again to Edward, where it remained for the rest of lunch.

The only thing which broke me out of my reverie was on the way to class after lunch when I heard Lauren bitching about me, unaware that I was walking just behind her.

"Why doesn't Bella just sit with the Cullens from now on? She's obviously decided she's better than us now; why should we put up with that? She probably thinks she's all high and mighty now that Edward's paid a little bit of attention to her," she sneered.

I stopped walking, leaving Jessica and Angela to crash into me, shocked by where this hostility was coming from. I barely talked to Lauren, so I couldn't understand what she had against me.

Angela, however, had caught the tail end of Lauren's complaints and looped her arm through mine, leading me towards Biology steadfastly.

"Don't worry about her; she's just jealous of you."

I stopped again to take this in, but Angela continued to drag me forward.

"Jealous?" Why would she be jealous of me?

"Because of Edward."

Ah. Of course. It always came back to Edward; I should have known.

"She tried to seduce him once, you know," Angela confided.

"What?" My eyes practically popped out at this new information.

Angela cast me a knowing sidelong look. "It was at the Spring Dance last year. The whole family went, but he was the only one without a date. He ended up just dancing with his sisters for the whole evening, but Lauren was determined that she was going to..." Angela blushed. "...you know. So she bought this really low-cut dress to impress him with – she looked...interesting – and was all over him, trying to get him to ask her to dance, trying to get him to dance with her. It was actually embarrassing to watch."

"What happened?" I asked, morbidly curious.

"Edward politely turned her down. She stomped off and decided to dance with Tyler to make him jealous and Tyler accidentally stepped on the bottom of her dress, dragging it down. She flashed the entire school and has never quite lived it down." Angela shuddered delicately.

I felt a twinge of sympathy towards the blond girl, being humiliated in front of everyone was something I could empathize with.

There was a tiny part of me, however, which was inordinately pleased that Edward hadn't fallen for Lauren's obvious charms and appeared to prefer my company, despite the fact that my...assets...were slightly less impressive.

I could afford to be magnanimous though. After all, I had actually seduced Edward, albeit very clumsily, and I knew just how wonderful that experience was.

The rest of the day passed quickly enough with only one other occurrence catching my wandering attention.

"Dad? Do you know where Goats Rocks is?"

Charlie eyed me suspiciously from over his newspaper, his moustache twitching. "It's just south of Mount Rainier; good hunting grounds down there."

"Hunting grounds? Like shooting and stuff?"

"Yes, especially later in the year. Lots of bears down there."

I turned over this new information in my mind. "Bears? So you wouldn't want to go camping down there, would you?"

"No." Charlie lowered his newspaper. "Why?"

"Just some kids were talking about camping there."

"Oh." He flipped his paper back up again. "That wouldn't be too smart an idea."

"No," I agreed, before making an excuse about homework and running up to my room. Instead, when I got there, I flopped down onto the bed.

Had Edward lied to me? He hadn't needed to; he could have just said he was going camping with his brother and I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but he had told me where he was going. Unless he and Emmett weren't going camping, but going hunting instead. I tried to picture Edward with a gun, but the image just wouldn't come to mind. What did unfold before me though was a picture of Edward hunting using only his hands, those strong hands which were capable of stopping vans in their path and breaking bones without even realising.

I shook the thought out of my head, cringing at its fanciful nature. I knew that there was something different about Edward, but I shouldn't let my imagination run riot like that. It didn't help anything.

Saturday dawned with remarkably clear skies and even a hint of sunshine; I began to feel almost excited about going on this trip to La Push, especially if the weather stayed as nice all day as it was now.

When I arrived at Newton's Outfitters, our meeting point for the trip, I wondered why we were all travelling together. Mike had brought his Suburban and Lee had his van, but half the junior year appeared to have turned up and I wasn't sure how we were all going to fit into the two vehicles.

Jessica and Angela met me enthusiastically enough, but I was slightly disappointed to see that Lauren was there, surrounded by two girls that I didn't know, although I was fairly certain I had fallen over the redheaded one in gym class on Wednesday. Sneering at me, they each flicked their hair dismissively as they turned their back on me. Synchronised snubbing – I had never seen that before.

"Don't worry about them," Angela whispered in my ear as she hugged me in welcome.

"Don't worry about who?" Jessica asked, her ears alert to any hint of gossip.

"Lauren."

"Yeah, she's being kind of a bitch lately, isn't she?" Jess agreed. "You know it's 'cos of Tyler, don't you?"

"Tyler?" I was completely nonplussed.

Jessica looked at me like I was really stupid. "Um, yeah. Surely you've noticed that he's been paying you more attention than her, especially since his van nearly hit you?"

I honestly hadn't. Since that accident all of my focus had been on Edward, either on stressing about why he didn't like me anymore and why he was avoiding me, or obsessing about our two nights together. Figuring out Edward took up all my attention to the detriment of everything else. I mean, sure I knew that Tyler had been friendlier towards me since he nearly hit me and he had asked me to go to the Spring Dance with him – I remembered how that had ended – but I didn't realise that this was a sign of particular regard.

"Oh."

Jessica cackled at me and even Angela was attempting to hide a grin. "Honestly, Bella. You're so completely oblivious sometimes."

Angela raised an eyebrow suggestively. "She's probably got better things to worry about."

Laughing nervously, I still wasn't completely comfortable with sharing my feelings with people yet, I attempted to divert their attention. "So what about you and Mike, Jess? How's that going?"

Luckily she took the bait, immediately beginning to go into great detail about how much fun she and Mike were going to have at the dance and how she would need to make sure that he got a corsage for the dance that matched her dress. Angela, I found out from Jessica's running chatter, was going with Eric and Lauren was going with Tyler, yet despite this had still decided to hate me for his attention.

Angela was surprisingly quiet when I asked if she was looking forward to being Eric's date, but as I appreciated my own privacy on certain matters, I decided not to push her for an answer. If she wanted to share then I would be willing to listen, but not before that. I recognised instinctively that despite her teasing, she would extend the same courtesy to me.

Luckily we were distracted at that moment by the rising arguments over who would drive down to the beach with who. It was amazing how difficult my fellow students could make such a simple task. Despite his overtures towards Jessica, Mike still insisted that I ride in his Suburban with him, but I dragged her along with me, making sure that the fledgling couple were wedged into the front seat together while I sat squashed against the window, fighting to breathe properly in the stale air inside the car.

When we got to the beach, the boys in the group lit a fire and I marvelled at the salt blue flames before agreeing to go and check out the rock-pools with a group of people including Angela, Jessica and Mike. I trailed behind the others, not as steady in my path as they were and by the time I got to the rocks, everyone else was already racing across the jagged stones, leaping over the pools of water, shrieking with laughter. I could only imagine the scene that would be caused, the injuries that would need to be treated in the ER, if I attempted to follow their example.

Instead I sat quietly, watching the hive of activity going on inside the rock-pools. They had always fascinated me and I was glad that I had made the decision to come here; this was something beautiful that I could enjoy, rather than something beautiful that seemed at times to be completely unattainable.

I admit it; my mind was occasionally wandering in Edward's direction. Ok, not occasionally, more like all the time. I just couldn't work out why he'd lied to me about camping in Goats Rock; it just seemed like an unnecessary thing to do.

Of course, that then led to the question of what was he actually doing this weekend? I didn't think it was something that would be answered soon.

Around mid-afternoon, everyone decided to head back to the beach for lunch and when we got there I saw that the group from school had now expanded to include teenagers who looked like they came from the reservation. The food was being shared round and I could see the boys jostling to get their hands on the burgers being cooked on a makeshift grill over the flames.

Eric introduced those of us who had gone to the rock-pools to the newcomers and I noted that I gained a bit of attention from some of the res kids, one in particular, a younger boy with long hair tied back in a ponytail, wouldn't stop staring across the fire at me. It made eating the sandwich Angela handed me a bit uncomfortable. As I picked a drink out of the cooler that Mike had brought along with him, a massively tall and well-muscled boy from the reservation introduced the others. I frowned at his presence, surprised to see someone so obviously older hanging out with all the younger kids. But then, this was a fairly small community, smaller than Forks, so maybe there weren't really a lot of people of a similar age around. I did note however that the boy who had been staring at me when I was introduced was called Jacob.

After lunch another group of people decided to go back to the rock-pools and Jessica decided to drag Mike up to the local shop to get some more snacks. I wasn't up for either walk though and so decided to huddle down inside my coat by the fire and attempt to warm up. A cool breeze had begun to chill the air, lowering the temperature and leaving me to lament the fact that I hadn't brought a second sweater with me just in case. I should have known the sunny weather this morning wouldn't last.

Everyone else seemed to scatter as well unless I was left sat around the fire with Angela, Lauren, Tyler and three of the res kids, Jacob and the older boy included.

Angela was content to sit quietly and I relished the peace and quiet that being in her company invoked. Lauren was ignoring me, as usual, and I could see her nails dig into the skin Tyler's arm from where I sat as she talked to him. Jacob was staring at me again, although this time his gaze appeared to be assessing.

After a few minutes, he seemed to come to a decision and stood up, walking over to where I was and sitting down on the log next to me. I watched and waited.

"You're Isabella Swan, right?"

I fought the urge to grit my teeth. "Just Bella."

Jacob ignored my annoyed tone and grinned easily at me. "I'm Jacob Black. My dad's the one who sold your dad your truck."

"Oh right." Realisation hit me. "You're Billy's son. Sorry, I probably should have remembered that."

"Nah, you're alright. The last time you saw me I was probably in diapers. You're more likely to remember my older sisters, Rachel and Rebecca."

I nodded. "The twins, right? Are they here today?" I struggled to remember how old they'd be; from what I recalled they were only a little over a year older than me.

"Nope." He grinned again. "They don't live around here anymore. Rachel's off at college down at Washington State; she got a scholarship there. And Rebecca's living in Hawaii now with her husband."

"Her husband?" I couldn't believe she was married already; she was so young. I couldn't imagine the fuss that Renee would kick up if I announce that I was getting married.

"Yep." Jacob was untroubled by this revelation. "He's a Samoan surfer. I don't think the waves up here in Washington could compete with those down in Hawaii. Plus, you know," he gestured towards the sky, "less rain."

I nodded, temporarily stunned.

"So do you like the truck?" Jacob asked.

Now this was something I could show enthusiasm for. "Yeah, it's great. I love it."

"I rebuilt it, you know." Jacob's chest puffed up with pride. "Had to rebuild the engine and everything."

I gave him the praise he was so obviously searching for. "Well, it runs great. You did a great job."

"Yeah." His pride deflated a little and he shot me a worried glance. "Just don't try to drive it over sixty; it isn't so great then."

I punched his arm jokingly. "Well it may not drive fast, but at least I already know it's great in a collision."

Jacob beamed at me. "My dad told me about that. To be honest I think a tank could hit that truck and it would still come off better."

I laughed. "Probably."

Jacob laughed too and I noticed his eyes wandering up and down my body. I shivered, his gaze making me uncomfortable; although I was clearly older than him, he was looking at me in the same way that Mike and Eric sometimes did – like I was a girl. I didn't like it. Luckily, Jacob seemed harmless enough so I shrugged off his attention.

Lauren's nasally voice carried across the fire then and I was surprised, when I looked up, to see that she was studying the interaction between Jacob and I. "So, Bella, you and Jacob seem to be getting on well."

I remained silent, waiting to see what she would say next. Unfortunately, before that could happen, Jacob decided to answer her.

"Oh, we've know each other since I was born," he laughed and throw his arm over my shoulders jokingly.

I couldn't help my imperceptible flinch at the action. My body was rebelling against his touch. His arm felt too heavy, his presence too cloying. He was too earthy, too...

Too unlike Edward.

I didn't like it.

Grinning weakly, I surreptitiously attempted to shrug off Jacob's arm, pretending to adjust the zip on my coat.

"How nice." Lauren's voice was sickly sweet, her smile as fake as my own. "Tell me, Bella, did you not invite the Cullens out with us today? I was just saying to Tyler that it's a pity none of them are here. I thought you might know, especially seeing how..._close_ you are to them," she threw her last comment in Jacob's direction but he didn't seem to notice.

The older boy who had introduced everyone before did though and a look of fury and disgust crossed his face. "Are you talking about Carlisle Cullen and his family?" His voice was deep and disapproving and I frowned.

Lauren did too, scowling as she turned to answer him. "Do you know them?" Her nose was turned upwards, clearly disbelieving.

"The Cullens don't come here."

I waited for him to say something else to support his decisive statement, but he turned back to the fire immediately afterwards. Lauren sniffed at him, flicking her hair in his direction and turning to speak to Tyler again.

I was sat frozen with my eyes on him, my mind racing.

_The Cullens don't come here._

The Cullens were well known down at the reservation.

_The Cullens don't come here._

They weren't well liked, especially by this boy.

_The Cullens don't come here._

It wasn't that the Cullens might not want to come down to La Push, more that it sounded like they weren't allowed – at least that was how it sounded to me.

What kind of place bans an entire family from coming to a particular area? Maybe one that knows what they are, what it is that makes them different from the rest of us, my brain supplied.

"Honestly," Jacob muttered under his breath. He shook his head and it suddenly occurred to me that he might know what the older boy was talking about. After all, I'd only promised Edward that I'd stop asking him what he was; I had never sworn not to find out by myself.

And here was my chance. Jacob obviously knew something, or at least, he knew what the other boy knew. The only problem now was trying to get him to tell me.

"So are you enjoying the beach today?" He smiled at me and bumped my arm with his, his eyes making that track down my covered body again. I honestly don't know what he was looking at, I was completely swaddled in layers; he wasn't really going to get a clear view of anything no matter how much he looked.

I blushed unwilling as my memory supplied an image of exactly who had seen my unclothed body.

Jacob's grin widened at my heated cheeks, thinking that he had caused it and that's when the plan hit me. It was stupid and it probably wasn't going to work, but I had to take the risk that Jacob was enamoured enough and unworldly enough to fall for my laughable charms.

"Do you want to come for a walk down the beach with me?" I asked, fluttering my eyelashes and trying not to look like I was having a spasm.

Luckily, Jacob didn't seem to notice anything unusual in my actions, instead he flashed his gleaming teeth at me again and stood up, offering me his hand. I grinned what probably looked like more of a grimace and took it, letting go as soon as I could.

I wanted to flirt with Jacob, I didn't want to cruelly lead him on or give him any expectations. It was a very fine line to walk.

We strolled along the beach in silence, the wind chill picked up and I scrabbled in my pockets for my gloves, pulling them on and rubbing my hands together, attempting to get some warmth in them.

"So Jacob, how old are you? I forgot what the difference in age was between us. Sixteen?"

Jacob laughed. He seemed like a very congenial boy and I felt slightly bad for my feeble attempts at coercion. He actually seemed like someone I could really get on with if I wasn't trying to get information out of him.

"No," he blustered, "I just turned fifteen...but I am mature for my age."

I nodded. "What about that guy who was sat with us at the bonfire? He seemed a little old to be hanging out with us lot."

I fluttered my eyelashes again, dying inside at how ridiculous the whole situation was.

"Who, Sam?" Jacob frowned. "No, he's nineteen. His girlfriend and her brother were down at the beach too so he came with them."

"Ah, right."

Now I had to find out the crucial information from Jacob and, trying to emulate a look that Edward had often given me which threw my caution to the wind, I peered at him from beneath my lashes, trying to look alluring.

"So, what was he talking about before, you know, 'the Cullens can't come here'?" I attempted to do an impression of Sam's deep voice, causing Jacob to give a bark of laughter.

"Oh, they're just not supposed to come onto the reservation. I'm not even supposed to talk about it."

"Really?" I attempted to sound disbelieving. "Well I wouldn't tell anyone, I was just curious."

There went my eyelashes again. At this rate I was going to get a muscle cramp.

"It's just an old scary story, like part of our tribe's history." He paused and assessed me. "Did you know that the Quileutes are supposedly descended from wolves?"

I raised my eyebrows, wanting to hurry him on, but knowing that it wouldn't help. "Like real wolves?"

"Yeah, supposedly they're our brothers still. That's why it's against the law to kill them here. Anyway, some stories tell that as they our descendents we were able to take on the wolves' form, become wolves ourselves to protect the tribe from its enemies."

"Its enemies?" I pressed.

Jacob paused dramatically. "The cold ones."

The term set off warning bells in my mind. Cold ones – cold like the Cullens? I was listening intently now.

Jacob continued speaking, completely oblivious to my turmoil.

"Anyway, the legends of the cold ones are almost as old as the legends of the wolves. They're supposed to be our natural enemies. My great-grandfather, when he was tribal leader, was supposed to have met with some of them and negotiated a treaty to keep them off our lands, to keep the people on the reservation safe."

"Why negotiate if they were the enemy? Why not just kill them?"

"Well, these ones were supposed to be different from others of their kind – less dangerous. So as long as they stayed away from La Push and didn't hurt anyone, the tribe agreed not to expose them to the pale-faces."

He gestured towards me and gave me a cheeky wink. I fought against my frozen facial muscles to give him a smile in response.

"So why bother with a truce if they were dangerous then?"

"Well these ones claimed to be different. They said they hunted on animals, rather than humans. As long as they kept that promise, we wouldn't attack or expose them."

"So how are the Cullens tangled up in all of this? Are they like the cold ones that met with your great-grandfather?"

"No." Jacob looked vaguely triumphant, before lowering his voice to a whisper. "They're the same ones."

"What?" My voice was loud and shocked in comparison to his.

Jacob was entertained by my reaction. "Their leader, Carlisle..."

"The doctor," I interrupted.

"Right, the doctor. He was the one who originally negotiated the treaty. There's more of them now though. A new male and female have joined them now, but they've been here and gone before you lot up in Forks were ever around." His easy smile was back.

"And now they're back."

"And now they're back," Jacob repeated.

This last question was going to be the one that could unravel everything, including me. I nearly regretted asking it, but I needed to know.

"So, what are the cold ones exactly?"

Jacob leaned in towards me, pausing again until my nerves were on edge.

"Vampires," he hissed loudly. I jumped slightly at the sound of his voice and then laughed shakily, punching him on the arm.

He laughed heartily. "I can't believe you jumped, Bella. Look at you, you have goosebumps and everything."

I laughed and shrugged, unsure of what to say to him.

Vampires. The cold ones were vampires and the Cullens were cold ones. That would make the Cullens vampires.

That would make Edward a vampire.

I shook my head sharply.

Jacob caught my movement and grew serious suddenly. "Listen, you won't say anything to anybody about this, will you? Technically it's part of the truce that no-one outside the tribe is supposed to know about any of it, so I guess I've just broken it."

"You're secret's safe with me, don't worry." I smiled weakly.

"Great." Jacob looked relieved. "It might be an idea to not say anything to Charlie either. He and my dad argue about this all the time, especially as since Dr Cullen started working up at the hospital, some of the families down here won't go up to Forks for medical treatment anymore. He thinks we're being superstitious fools."

"I won't tell. I promise."

"So," Jacob began, looking vaguely nervous, "do you think I'm a superstitious fool now?" He sounded very young and worried and I immediately felt guilty for flirting with him, no matter how ineptly.

"No. I don't think you're superstitious, or a fool. Just a really good storyteller," I said kindly.

"Great." His permanent grin was back and I wondered briefly at how it was possible to always remain that upbeat and happy all the time.

"Bella!"

We both turned at the sound of my name being called, to find Mike and Jessica walking towards us. I waved unenthusiastically at them, annoyed that the interruption was coming before I had the chance to attempt to subtly grill Jacob for more information. Mike was glaring in Jacob's direction and I was unhappy to see Jessica glaring at Mike, pissed off by his attitude.

"So maybe once I get my driver's licence, I could come up to Forks and we can hang out?" Jacob suggested hopefully, judging accurately that our time together today was quickly coming to an end.

"Yeah, sure. That would be really great." As false as my flirting was, I really did like Jacob. He seemed like the kind of person who I could easily be friends with and I looked forward to seeing him again.

"Bella!" Mike was closer now and I wished he would stop shouting my name like that. "What's going on?"

I bristled at the inference that I should have to justify my actions to him and Jessica was scowling at him too.

"I was just hanging out with Jacob here. He was telling me some of the stories and histories of the area."

"Oh right." Mike stopped in front of us and sized Jacob up, smirking when he appeared to assess him as lacking. I wondered if he was underestimating him because of his age.

Jacob, on the other hand, relaxed under Mike's scrutiny, smirking at his actions.

"We should get going soon, Bella. It looks like there might be a storm coming." Jessica finally decided to interrupt the standoff happening between the two boys.

I glanced up at the sky and grimaced at the dark clouds which had rolled in across the sea as Jacob and I had been talking. Even as I looked upwards a fat drop of rain landed on the tip of my nose and I sneezed as I wiped it off.

I offered Jacob a friendly smile. "I should be going. I'll see you around."

He shot a knowing look towards Mike before replying. "Yeah, it was good to see you again, Bella. We'll hang out soon." He winked at me and I had to stifle a laugh at the look of disbelief and anger that his words provoked in Mike.

"Yeah, come up with your dad the next time he visits Charlie."

He nodded and waved, before sauntering over to where his friends were gathered by a footpath off the beach. Mike huffed and stalked off toward where the others were beginning to gather by the cars.

Jessica looked at me and I met her gaze evenly.

"We should get back before this rain gets any heavier."

"Yeah." I followed her up the beach, but my conscience made me reach out an arm to stop her before we got within hearing distance of our classmates.

"Jess, I'm really sorry about how Mike's acting."

She sighed and then waved in my direction. "It's not your fault," she offered generously. "Although it would be nice if he got his head out his ass for once and noticed that you're not interested." She sniggered suddenly. "It was funny to see his face when we found you with your friend though – especially the colour his face turns when he's mad."

Overcome for a sudden rush of affection and sympathy for the girl in front of me, I impulsively stepped forward and gave her a hug, which she returned.

When we broke apart, she smiled sadly at me. "It helps anyway to know that he has no chance with you. Especially with Edward as competition."

Giving me one last hug, we walked quietly back to the cars, where I squeezed into the back of the Suburban next to Angela. I needed to think and I didn't need Mike sat next to me chattering away in my ear. If you asked me, at the moment, he didn't even deserve Jess.

Staring out the window at the storm on the way home, I allowed myself to finally begin to think about what Jacob had told me.

The Cullens. The cold ones. Vampires.

According to the Quileute legends, the Cullens were vampires, which meant that Edward was a vampire.

The boy that I had... was a vampire.

Well, I had wanted answers; I guess now I had them.

I just wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not anymore.


	8. Handle With Care

**Here's the latest chapter for you all. Sorry I've taken so long to update; I've been working on some EPOV outtakes from this story for FGB. If you fancy having a look they're entitled Moments of the Night.**

**Cheers as always to my lovely beta RedSummer, and thanks to everyone who's still reading/**

**I don't own Twilight, more's the pity.**

**Handle With Care**

**BPOV**

Vampire.

_Vam_pire. Vam_pi_re. Vampi_re_.

Nope, no matter how many times I said it and how many different ways I said it, I still couldn't get my head around the concept.

The Cullens were vampires. Edward was a vampire.

I had had sex with a vampire.

I giggled loudly and hysterically and then clapped my hand over my mouth, praying that Charlie hadn't heard me. Luckily, there were no footsteps on the stairs to indicate that he was coming up to check on me.

I had given him a cursory rundown of my day when I got back; he had seemed so excited that I was getting out and about with friends. I think he felt guilty for leaving me alone at the weekends while he went fishing. After dinner and a few hours of watching baseball together, I had pleaded tiredness and headed upwards, finally alone with my thoughts.

Although, truth was, I really didn't know what to think.

Vampires couldn't be real. Logically, they didn't exist - except in legends such as the ones Jacob had laughed off this afternoon. Even he didn't believe his own tribe's historical tales, so why should I?

But still there was that little voice in the back of my head that told me that what I had heard was the truth.

What would that mean though, if Edward was indeed a vampire?

My head was spinning with everything that had been thrown at me today and I threw myself onto my bed – the same bed that Edward and I had shared for two all-too-brief nights. Was it possible that I had shared my bed with a vampire?

The hysterical giggles were back and I decided that I was too tired to start trying to get my head around this right now.

After changing for bed, I grabbed my headphones, turned on my CD player, and let the music drown out the thoughts from my mind.

My sleep was restless and I jolted awake around five in the morning, confused and scared. The nightmare that had woken me from my sleep lingered in my mind and I tried to recapture it in my memory as it began to slip from my grasp.

Edward had a starring role of course, and I had been scared of him... No, not scared of him; scared _for_ him. Something had been stalking him – us – through the trees. A giant wolf was hunting us through the woods and I had feared for Edward's life. A brief image from my dream slipped across my memory: Edward had turned to face me, smile at me, his teeth flashing in the dark, dripping with saliva. He had looked both wicked and charming at the same time.

But the sight of his teeth...

I shuddered at the thought of what I had to do today. I had to decide whether or not I really believed that Edward was a vampire.

God, even thinking it sounded stupid in my head. Maybe having sex with him had made me lose all grasp of reason.

First things first though, I needed to get ready to face the day and whatever revelations that might bring. Switching on my computer, I had a shower and ate my breakfast slowly, giving it time to boot up. I couldn't put it off any longer though.

Clicking onto Google, I typed in 'vampire'.

As if I didn't already feel stupid enough, all the initial search results that came up were all about TV shows and films, tattoos, gothic make-up, fan art and a myriad of sites dedicated to the 'dark side' and pagan beliefs. Nothing that I searched through was vaguely realistic or appeared to have any connection to real life.

Thoroughly disheartened, I decided to try one last page before giving up on any smidgeon of fact I could rely upon to glean the truth from the situation. Scanning down the list of available sites, I clicked on one that looked vaguely hopeful.

Vampires A-Z.

With any luck, this A-Z truly would include everything there was to know about vampires as it claimed. The screen was plain – black font on a white background – with an alphabetised listing of different worldwide vampire myths. I sat up straighter and clicked on random entries, searching the myths for any familiar characteristics that could be applied to Edward and his family.

Blood-drinking was a primary theme amongst all the myths, along with loss of a heartbeat as vampires were undead. Flying, turning into a bat and not having a reflection seemed a bit far-fetched to me, but other characteristics I came across resounded through my brain.

Vampires could be cold, pale creatures, abnormally strong and fast and immortal – unable to be harmed. They didn't come out in the sunlight, which could set them on fire, and they could be unnaturally beautiful to enable them to lure unsuspecting humans in.

I considered how this compared to what I already knew about the Cullens.

Abnormally strong and fast – Edward had sprinted across the school parking lot in a second to stop Tyler's van from crushing me...with one hand. And of course, there was the small matter of my cracked ribs. I could check that one off the list. All of the Cullens were incredibly beautiful and strangely similar-looking, despite not being related. I had never met the mother, but I assumed that she would be just as attractive and have the same strange gold-coloured eyes.

The sunlight thing I couldn't really explain. Forks didn't really get enough sun for me to ever notice if the Cullens avoided it.

I was grasping at straws now, trying to make the Cullens fit the profiles of these vampires.

They were pale though; paler than even me. I thought about Edward, his touch, the feel of his cool body against mine. I had known even then that there was something different about the temperature of his body; unfortunately I had been too swept away by the sensation of him inside me to think much of it.

A random memory came to me then, something that hadn't registered until now. When Edward had come to my room that second night, he had spent a long time worshipping my neck with his tongue and lips.

_Edward was a neck man_. That was what I had thought. I had noticed that he was seriously into my neck, and wasn't that where all good vampires fed from.

My hand rose to stroke over the area where he had left his mark, possessing me, claiming me.

Yes, Edward was a neck man.

There was also our conversation, where he had slipped up and revealed himself to not be human. He had admitted to being something else, something more dark and primal.

But a vampire? _A vampire?_

The air in my room was beginning to close around me as my head swam. Closing down my computer, I dragged on my sneakers and stumbled out of the back of the house, taking advantage of the dry weather and heading for the forest that bordered our property.

This was what I needed, to be outside – to be where I could think and breathe clearly.

I stomped along the thin trail that wound through the trees, trying to shake off my worries with each heavy footstep. Eventually, I tired and sat on a fallen tree trunk that lay alongside the path. The second I stopped moving the green plant-life closed in around me, the brightness of the colour almost suffocating. This world was alien to me, and held an air of danger around it, especially considering the dreams I had had last night.

Trees loomed menacingly over me, while the fern and long grasses at my feet were batted around by a cool breeze that had sprung up and attacked my still legs.

_...the woods are lovely, dark and deep..._

The line from an old poem that we'd had to memorise in my old English class drifted across my mind. I found the dark and deep aspect particularly fitting, but I had yet to be convinced by the forest's loveliness.

I could picture Edward in it though, that haunting image of him stalking and hunting his prey with his bare hands coming back to me again. He would be at home here, weaving through the trees, his teeth glinting...

...and was I actually considering this? Really?

Other hints that Edward had inadvertently given began to flash before me. He went camping in a dangerous area renowned for bear hunting; he didn't seem to eat human food and he made jokes I didn't understand about his age. Jacob had told me that the Cullens had been to Forks before – the same ones – long before the settlement was developed, and that they were only allowed to stay because they hunted animals and not humans.

He hadn't gone to the biology class when everyone was doing blood-typing and he had warned me about the smell of blood in the nurses' office before my classmate had even come into the room. He had claimed to be dangerous and he had nearly attacked his father for touching me when we were at the hospital, sinking into a crouch and growling ferociously.

I quite liked the growling, even though it had shocked me initially.

What it all added up to, when listed like that, was that as unbelievable as it may seem, Edward was a vampire. Which meant the Cullens were vampires.

My thoughts had gone round in a giant circle before ending up exactly at the place where I had started.

I had sex with Edward. Hopefully, I was just beginning a relationship with Edward. Edward was a vampire.

I spoke out loud to the silent forest. "Edward is a vampire."

There was no reply, not that I was really expecting one.

"Edward is a vampire."

That time sounded even more ridiculous, like I was trying to prove something. I no longer felt quite as stunned by the revelation. It sounded better to me now, like I was admitting something that I had long swept aside.

I took a deep breath and then let it out slowly.

That was it then, I had reconciled the knowledge in my mind. Edward was a vampire. I should have been afraid - vampires were the stuff of horror stories and nightmares. I could still remember the look on Edward's face when he thought he had hurt me though – the shame and torment he had suffered.

I felt safe with him. I felt comfortable with him. I didn't care if he was a vampire; the important thing was that he was Edward.

As if that decision had been what my conscious mind was waiting for, the trees suddenly appeared less oppressive, the forest seemed to come alive with noise again, birds tweeting and other small creatures rustling about through the undergrowth. The endless green that surrounded me no longer seemed so florid and obscene.

Standing up, I brushed down the back of my jeans where I had been sat, and began to follow the trail back towards the main road.

About halfway back along the path, the hairs on back of my neck began to stand on end. I spun around and glared at the empty forest. I felt so much better after making my decision about Edward and now the creepy atmosphere of my surroundings was beginning to ruin that. Turning back in the direction of home, I took one step and then felt a gust of wind blow past my back, as if something very fast had just shot across the track behind me.

I froze, suddenly realising my stupidity in coming out into these woods without leaving a note letting anyone know where I was, when there were wild creatures roaming about...when there were vampires in the world.

I picked up my pace, hurrying forward to get out of the forest and back into the bright sunlight, away from this canopied shade that hid so much from my eyes.

The feeling of being watched had me running back to the yard, ignoring my usual habit of falling over in favour of getting out of the tree cover as fast as possible. My feeling of safety was gone.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the house came into view and I bolted across the mowed lawn and into the living room, locking the door behind me. As I collapsed against the wall, panting, I cursed my imagination for running away with itself.

All this talk about vampires and wolves had clearly played too much upon my mind. However, I couldn't stop the shiver that travelled down my spine. I could have sworn there was someone out there with me in the woods today.

I shook my head in an effort to rid myself of those thoughts. I had let the supposed existence of vampires make me paranoid. Now, looking out the window onto the quiet garden and the woods beyond, all was still. In the safety of my home, my fear looked stupid.

Determined to clear my mind, I left my position in front of the window and returned to my room and my computer. Vampires or not, scary woodland beasts or not, I was not going to dwell on this. Instead, I was determined to continue with my weekend as normal, as though absolutely nothing had changed, which meant I needed to complete my homework. My resolve to fully concentrate on my homework meant that I quickly finished everything that I had been set last week and I even managed to fully complete an English paper due Wednesday.

By the time I was done, Charlie was back from fishing, and I rushed to make him dinner and spent the rest of the evening hanging out with him, watching TV.

I slept heavily that night, tiredness from my restless sleep the night before ensuring that I was out like a light the second my head hit the pillow.

Bright sunlight streaming through my window woke me up in the morning and I had to blink several times before working out what it was. Leaping out of bed and running to the window I was amazed to find that the ever gloomy clouds that usually covered Forks were mysteriously gone. I could see the sun. Hell, I could see the blue sky. Even that was enough to immediately brighten my mood.

Getting ready for school, I bounded clumsily down the stairs, amusing Charlie to no end as he was leaving for work.

Today was going to be a good day. The sun was shining, beaming warmth down on me, and I was going to see Edward again - the second prospect having an even greater impact on my mood than the first.

In a hurry to see him again and wanting to enjoy the good weather while I could, I left for school early, arriving before even a quarter of the students had got there. Shrugging, I skirted around the school buildings and sat down on one of the picnic benches located on the south side of the school, just outside the cafeteria. Getting out my government textbook to keep me occupied before the bell rang, I spent most of my time basking in the warmth, my eyes shut and my face tilted towards the sky.

Naturally, Mike Newton had to interrupt my happy moment. As much as I tried not to judge others, he really was beginning to get on my nerves, not taking my pretty obvious hints of disinterest and constantly acting in a proprietary manner around me. Now, he decided to clasp a handful of my hair and tug sharply on it, startling me out of my reverie and creating the beginnings of a headache.

"Hey, Bella, your hair has red in it, I've never noticed before."

He went to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, but the action just seemed far too intimate for my liking, so I swept my hair back myself, dislodging Mike's hand and rubbing soothingly over my sore scalp.

He grinned at me and I smiled weakly back as he sat down on the other side of the picnic bench.

"Great day today, huh?"

I couldn't really disagree with him, the weather was beautiful today. "I didn't know you people could get sun around here," I teased.

"Yeah well, we have to make an exception to the gloomy weather every now and then." Mike looked at me curiously, his brow furrowed. "So, did you do anything fun yesterday?"

My own frown emerged at his somewhat belligerent tone of voice. "Nothing as exciting as Saturday. I mostly just stayed inside and worked on my English essay."

"Oh right. When's that due again? Thursday?"

I shook my head at his obliviousness. "Wednesday. It's the Shakespeare paper, remember?"

"I guess." He shot me a grin that looked as if it was meant to be charming, but just came off as rather goofy. Again, my mind immediately began supplying me with unfavourable comparisons to Edward. "I should probably start work on it later then?"

I nodded. "Probably should."

Mike appeared downhearted by my agreement. "Oh."

We sat uncomfortably. I didn't know what he expected me to say. Luckily, or rather unluckily in my case, Mike didn't actually require me to break the silence.

"See, I was thinking that maybe I could work on my paper tomorrow, and tonight you and me could go out and do something."

I stared at him in complete disbelief. How could one boy be so completely unaware of what was going on around him? Hadn't Jessica made it plain that she really liked him? Hadn't I made it clear that I really didn't?

I forced myself to be diplomatic. "I don't think that that would be a very good idea, Mike."

He looked shocked by my pronouncement. "What? Why?"

I went for the kinder of the two explanations I could give him. "Because Jessica really likes you, and I can't believe that you don't see it. It would really hurt her feelings if you asked someone else out, especially when you're going with her to the dance."

"Oh." Again he looked dumbfounded and again I found myself thinking that maybe Jess deserved someone better, who would actually show some considerations of her feelings. "Really?"

"Really," I confirmed. "Why else would she have invited you to the Spring Dance if she didn't?"

Mike clicked his mouth shut sharply at this revelation and I took advantage of his temporary stunned silence to make my escape.

"Anyway, I better head off for class. I don't want to be late."

Grabbing my books, I scurried off to English, leaving Mike behind me, even though he was heading in the same direction. The more space I put between the two of us, the happier I felt.

Jessica was in a good mood when I got to class, happily chattering away to me about her plans to go shopping for a dress for the dance with Angela and Lauren in Port Angeles that night. Throughout English, Spanish and carrying on to we were heading for the cafeteria for lunch, I was treated to an in-depth analysis of style, colour, length and 'what did I think would suit Jessica's figure best?' I was somewhat thrown by the last one; fashion had never really been my strong point and I was forced to admit as much when she began rattling off a list of terms that I didn't understand.

She had merely waved her head in dismissal. "That's ok. You just need to tell me what does and doesn't look good when we go."

I was slightly taken aback by her assumption that I would be accompanying them on their shopping trip, but quickly decided that a girls' night out was probably what I needed if I didn't want to spend the rest of my time brooding over Edward and his...condition.

After collecting my lunch, I headed for our usual table and sat down next to Angela. As much as I loved Jess, sometimes I needed a bit of a break from her, just to recharge. Luckily, her attention was immediately claimed by Mike who was sitting at the opposite end of the table.

Picking through the salad I had selected, I shot a glance over to the Cullens' table, only to find it completely deserted. I could maybe understand Edward and Emmett not being there – they had said that they were going away for a long weekend; I had assumed that that just meant that they wouldn't be in school on Friday, but obviously they hadn't showed up today either. The rest of them though...

I found myself casting a dubious glance out the windows of the cafeteria to where the sun shone brightly on the school grounds. Maybe the reason for their absence was right in front of me.

A question from Angela about our Shakespeare essays stopped me obsessing over the mystery too much, and we were soon involved in a heated debate about Macbeth. Our argument continued on the way to Biology, only halting when Jessica bounded up to us.

"Guess what?" She clapped her hands excitedly.

"Ummmm..." We shared a confused look.

"Mike asked me out to dinner with him tonight," she gushed. "How amazing is that? I thought he'd never get a hint." She hugged us both, giggling happily the entire time.

"Congratulations, Jessica," I offered warmly, glad that he seemed to have finally gotten the hint.

She grinned at me before slapping her forehead with her open palm. "Oh, but what about shopping for dresses? We were going to go tonight."

"We can just go tomorrow," Angela offered. "Putting it back a day won't make much difference."

I mentioned the shopping trip to Charlie when he got home later that night.

"So are you going to the dance too now, Bells?"

"Definitely not," I chided him.

My father frowned, his moustache bristling. "Did no-one ask you?"

I rolled my eyes, but found myself inwardly touched by the concern Charlie was displaying. "It's a girl's choice dance, Dad. Besides, do you really think it's safe for me to go dancing?" He chuckled in acknowledgement. "Anyway, I've decided to go up to Seattle for that weekend instead, do some shopping while I'm up there."

"But you're going shopping tomorrow too?" He was confused and I stifled a smile. Poor Charlie; having a teenage daughter must be utterly perplexing for him

"I'm going shopping tomorrow in Port Angeles to help Angela, Jessica and Lauren pick out their dresses for the dance. You know, to give my opinion and let them know what I think. I'm going to Seattle pick out some clothes that are more appropriate for wearing in Forks and to check out the bookstores; Forks' library doesn't have the best selection."

Charlie harrumphed but didn't argue with me. I guess as happy as he was in Forks, even he could see the shortcomings of living in such a small town.

I finished my homework while dinner was cooking; Charlie was ensconced in front of the TV once more, checking the scores of a game that he'd missed. We ate our meal in front of the game and after washing up I left him to it, plodding up the stairs to my room.

My lack of good sleep recently was beginning to take its toll on me so, after a quick shower and blow-drying my hair, I crawled into bed and drifted off fairly easily.

I woke abruptly in the middle of the night, some sixth sense dragging me out of unconsciousness. Through bleary eyes, I scanned the room, stopping when I got to the closed window which remained shut. Sleep began to pull me under again, when a glimmer of light hit pale skin in the corner of my room.

"Edward?" I croaked, not sure if I was just imagining things in my half-asleep state.

He was sat in my rocking chair, leaning forward, his elbows resting against his thighs.

"Are you back?" I knew I wasn't making much sense, but I was so tired and keeping my eyes open enough to focus on him was becoming extremely difficult.

I blinked, my eyes staying closed for a long time, before they popped open again.

"Shhhh, Bella. Get some rest."

"Mmmkay," I answered the shadowy figure, rolling over the falling asleep once more, safe in the knowledge that I was being watched over.

When I woke up the next morning though, the chair was empty and the window was shut and locked from the inside. Yet despite the outward signs, I knew Edward was back in Forks.

I had a smile on my face when I left for school that morning.


	9. Careful, Fragile

**Here's the next chapter for you all. Hopefully I'm going to be better about updating so the next chapter shouldn't take as long as this one.**

**Thanks to my lovely beta RedSummer who continues to put up with me after all this time.**

**I own nothing except the plot.**

**Careful, Fragile**

**BPOV**

My improved mood evaporated somewhat when I got to school and the Volvo wasn't in the parking lot. The care and attention with which I'd dressed, picking out my favourite skinny jeans and blue V-necked shirt, suddenly seemed silly. I'd never made the effort to look nice for someone before, and seeing as Edward wasn't even here, it was completely wasted.

Narrowing my eyes against the blare, I glared at the sun, certain that it was the cause of my discontent.

No-one else shared my discontent with the sunny day – half the students were attired in shorts and t-shirts, taking advantage of the warm weather. I was decked out in my Phoenix winter wardrobe.

I had no sooner stepped onto campus when Jessica bounded up to me, her hair glinting in the sunlight and a big smile on her face. "Bella! Guess how dinner with Mike went last night?"

"How was dinner with Mike last night?" I obliged her.

"Oh my God! It was so amazing," she beamed. "I felt like we really got a chance to talk to each other and for once I had his full attention. You can't imagine how amazing I feel..."

She opened her mouth to continue, but was interrupted by the bell ringing.

"Crap. English. Never mind, I can tell you all about it on the way to Port Angeles later."

"Are we still going?" I asked, starting to get excited about getting out of Forks for a change.

"Yes." She nodded. "You are still able to come with me and Angela right? 'Cos Lauren had to cancel; she's got to go her grandmother's birthday or something this evening."

I gave an internal sigh of relief at the knowledge that Lauren would not be joining us on the shopping trip. As much as I wanted to spend time with Angela and Jessica, I hadn't been looking forward to the blonde girl's icy presence and snippy comments. With her gone, I would be able to fully relax on this trip.

"Yeah, I can still come. I'm looking forward to it."

We didn't have much more opportunity to talk as we entered our English classroom to be greeted by scowls from the teacher, despite not actually being late. I blushed and hurried to my seat, while Jessica blithely turned her nose up and strolled sedately to hers.

The rest of the day rushed by in a blur, which I was infinitely grateful for. I had dreaded an endless day spent catching glimpses of people who weren't Edward out of the corner of my eye. Luckily, a surprise pop-quiz in Government, a group project in History and...heaven forbid...a badminton lecture in Gym had all diverted my attention sufficiently that I didn't miss him.

Much.

The day finally came to an end though, and I hurried to my truck and drove to my house, exchanging my school bag for a smaller purse. Jessica beeped at me from outside – we were taking her car to Port Angeles this evening; Angela had already dropped her car off.

The journey to the larger town was surprisingly fun. We sang along to the radio and talked about boys... Well, Jessica talked about boys; I just tried to avoid her probing questions about Edward. Luckily, Angela and I managed to keep her pretty well occupied with details of her dinner with Mike and her hopes for the future.

"...and when we got to my door, he kissed me on the cheek. I'm hoping that he'll kiss me properly at the dance." She giggled nervously and then suddenly frowned. "What if he doesn't kiss me? Does that mean he doesn't really like me?"

Angela and I exchanged a glance before she jumped in soothingly.

"I'm sure if he doesn't kiss you then that just means that he's worried about how you'll react, not that he doesn't like you."

"Maybe you should make the first move?" I offered idly.

"What?" Jessica was scandalised. "Me kiss him first?"

"Sure."

Jessica fell silent then and I wondered if Forks was still such a traditional town that a woman taking control of a relationship was virtually unheard of. If it was, then judging my relationship so far with Edward, I was wildly out of place.

"So, Bella, what kind of dress do you think I should get?" Bless Angela for breaking the quiet that had fallen over the car – it seemed like she always seemed to know what to say and how to react in tricky situations.

The abrupt change of subject appeared to revive Jessica, who began to talk animatedly about different style and colours.

I was surprised to see that Port Angeles wasn't as big as I thought as we drove through it towards the department store which was apparently the only place in town with suitable clothing.

"Everything else is just expensive boutiques or gift shops," Jess complained.

Once we were in the store, Angela led us over to the junior section and we began scanning through the racks for suitable options. I picked out a pink knee-length dress and held it up to Jessica who wrinkled her nose.

"Something less 'little girly'. I want to look all woman and really make Mike's eyes pop."

I laughed at that and turned to Angela. "What about you? Are you looking to make Eric's eyes pop too?"

Angela grimaced. "I want to look nice, but..." She hesitated.

"But what?" Jessica asked.

"I don't know. I mean, I like Eric and I'm sure we'll have a good time at the dance, but I don't _like_ like him, you know? It's just nice to have someone to go with."

"So what about you, Bella?"

"What about me?" I looked up at Jessica suspiciously.

"Well, does Edward not want to come to the dance or something? Is that why you're not coming?"

I shook my head. "Whether Edward wants to go to the dance or not is not my consideration. I'm going to Seattle that weekend; I need to find a couple of good bookstores there that I can go to."

"There's one here that we can go to later if you like?" Angela offered.

"Really?" I had looked online, but hadn't been able to find any, so the news that Port Angeles actually did have a bookstore was quite exciting.

"Yeah, it's quite a small one though; nothing like the huge stores in Seattle."

"That'll be great, thanks."

"What about this one?" Jessica held out an electric blue dress.

I tried to bring my attention back to the task at hand. "You'd have to try it on to see if it fits, but it would suit your coloring and make your eyes really stand out."

"Great," she said happily. "Can you hold it for me while I get a couple more to try?"

I stood obligingly as my arms were filled with potential dresses by both girls, while they continued to rifle though the racks.

I thought Jessica had dropped the subject, but she persisted in her inquiries. "Did you even ask him though?"

"Who?" I was confused.

"Edward, of course." She rolled her eyes at me. "Did you even bother asking him to the dance? You know you like him and he likes you too; I'm sure he would've said yes if you asked him."

"I doubt that," I mumbled. Although we'd agreed to date, I still didn't know exactly where we stood. The situation hadn't been made any easier by his absence for the last couple of days and Jacob's revelation. I really didn't have a clue what was going on. "He said he might come to Seattle with me though."

"Well, that's something, right?" Once again, Angela was the one offering reassurance.

"I guess," I agreed begrudgingly.

"Well, I think it's a shame," Jessica complained. "What made you decide to go to Seattle that day anyway?"

I shrugged as we moved over to the changing rooms and my aching arms finally caught a break as they were relieved of their heavy burden.

I spoke a little louder to the girls behind the curtains. "We hadn't really been talking before then, so it wasn't like I knew that he maybe liked me back. Besides, I never go to dances."

"Not even back in Phoenix?" Angela asked as she came out and twirled around in a burgundy dress that hung loosely off her frame. I shook my head at her choice and she disappeared back into the changing room.

"No. No-one ever asked me at school there."

The curtain to Jessica's changing room whipped out and she stood there staring at me with a look of disbelief on her face.

"That looks really great," I complimented the black dress she wore that hugged her figure.

She waved her arm dismissively. "Of course it looks great. But what do you mean that no-one asked you out there?"

"Exactly that," I answered as Angela emerged as well – this time in a much more flattering pale pink dress. "I really like that one on you."

"Yeah, I do too," she replied, smoothing the material over her hips. "I think I might get it."

"Good choice," Jessica agreed. "I can't believe that no-one's ever asked you to a dance before, Bella. Everyone asks you here. I can understand why you said no when you've got Edward though."

I blushed. "I don't _have_ Edward."

"Not yet anyway," she giggled.

Angela, who had disappeared during the conversation, emerged in her street clothes, the dress she had chosen in hand.

"You might still go to Prom with Tyler though."

"Huh?" I was dumbfounded.

"Oh yeah," Jessica piped up. "He was going on about how he hadn't been able to ask you to the dance properly because Edward was there and butted in, but that he was sure that you hadn't been asked out to Prom yet, and so he was going to ask you before anyone else could." She vanished back behind the curtain and I could hear the rustling of clothes as she changed dresses.

I turned to look at Angela, my mouth still agape.

"It's why Lauren's been a bit terrible to you lately."

"She's jealous," Jessica called out.

"She's been crushing on Tyler for a while," my quieter friend explained. "He asked her to the dance coming up, but she knew that was only after he had asked you. Now he's talking about maybe taking you to Prom and you're having lunch with Edward and she's just..." Angela shrugged.

"Great," I sighed. "Just what I needed."

Jessica swept out in the blue dress she'd picked earlier. "I wouldn't worry about her. She can be a bit of a bitch sometimes, that's all. Just ignore her." She gestured towards herself. "Well?"

We looked over her critically.

"That one's nice," Angela commented.

I agreed with her. "I definitely prefer that one to the black."

Jessica surveyed herself in the mirror. "It does make my boobs look good, doesn't it?"

Angela and I exchanged a grin before turning back to Jessica.

"Your cleavage looks awesome."

"Great." She smiled happily. "I think I'll get this one then." She went to get changed back into her clothes while Angela went to put the dresses that they had rejected away.

"That reminds me... we were going to get you a Wonderbra, weren't we?"

"Jessica," I hissed, my cheeks rapidly heating up. "Stop talking so loudly, anyone could hear you."

"So what if they could?" She came out with her dress and we went to meet Angela. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Bella."

"I know that," I muttered furtively as I followed behind her. "I just don't want the whole store to know."

"Know what?" Angela asked as we reached her.

Jessica replied for me. "That we're going to get Bella a Wonderbra so she can wow Edward with her charms." She giggled.

Angela looked at me questioningly, but I merely sighed in defeat. Jessica took my silence as acquiescence and immediately dragged me over to the underwear section of the store. In the end, it turned out that I didn't need to do anything, as she shot around the department, asking me my sizes and then gathering up what looked like a huge amount of lacy material, with occasional suggestions from Angela. Obviously, I wasn't actually going to have to participate in this, which relieved me somewhat. It did leave me shuffling uncomfortably in the midst of underwear that not even my mother would wear.

Finally, they both came back and presented me with their top three choices. I eyed the silk of the bras cautiously.

"Well?" Jessica asked impatiently.

I grimaced. "I don't know." I took one of them off her and ran my fingers over the cup. "Do I really need that much padding?"

Angela smiled as Jessica huffed impatiently.

"Look, Bella. Just buy them – if you give me the money, I'll even take them up to the counter for you – take them home and try them on. If you really hate the way they look then you can always bring them back and get a refund. Ok?"

I knew that she wasn't going to drop this.

"Ok."

"Yay," she squealed happily. "Ok, we just need to go and get shoes and bags and stuff, and then we can go eat."

I glanced at my watch. "Do you actually mind if I skip out on you and go and find that bookstore before it closes?"

"Sure, do you know the restaurant where we're planning to meet?"

I assured them that I did – we were only venturing across the road to the little Italian place there – and got directions for the bookshop, which luckily didn't appear to be that far away.

The place that they'd mentioned was only about a half mile down towards the South of the town, but when I got there, there was only a New Age-style shop, filled with dreamcatchers, crystals and charms. Renee would have loved it if she'd been here and I made a mental note to come back here when I was looking for Christmas presents. There were some books inside, I could see the shelves through the window, but I knew that their subject matter was probably all about spiritual healing and the like...not exactly what I was looking for.

Sure that this wasn't the shop that Jessica and Angela were talking about, I continued to walk further down the road, searching out the elusive store. As I reached a crossroads, I could see some shop fronts up ahead on the right, but when I reached them I saw that they were deserted. Deciding to venture east and then make my way round in a loop back to the restaurant, in the hope that I'd still be able to find a bookshop, I turned round the next corner and then stopped.

I had reached a row of bars with groups of men hanging around smoking outside. I glanced back warily, thinking of just turning around and heading back in the direction I had come from, but the sky was beginning to get dark and the way ahead was better lit.

Taking a deep breath, I walked quickly towards the bars, staying on the outside of the sidewalk, as far away from the men as I could get. Most of them just ignored me, continuing on with their smoking and conversations; a couple of them wolf-whistled but I just kept my eyes focused dead ahead, trying to get past them all as fast as possible.

Unfortunately, my resolve to ignore all of them was tested as I walked past the next bar. A gang of men, who didn't look much older than I was, were watching me as I approached them.

"Hey there, beautiful."

I ducked my head, knowing that my face would be turning red as I scurried past.

I could hear them all laughing and a second one spoke to me.

"Hey, sweetheart, where're you going?"

I made the mistake of briefly looking up at him and was greeted by catcalls from all his friends. I walked faster. I turned the next corner that I came to, not bothering to worry about directions now – I was sure that I could find my way back to the main streets if I needed to, right now I just wanted to get as far away from these drunk men as possible.

The further I got away though, the more I came to realise that I had made a mistake by not turning around. The streets I was walking along were becoming increasingly deserted as night closed in around me and I found myself in a deserted parking lot behind some warehouses. A cool breeze picked up and I shivered, cursing myself for leaving my coat in Jessica's car. I should've known that the day's heat wouldn't last into the night.

The parking lot was dark, making it harder for me to see where I was going. As I glanced behind me, my blood froze. Two of the men from the bar were walking quietly behind me; I didn't know how long they had been following me. The hairs on the back of my neck were beginning to rise, so I was relieved when I made out a glimmer of light in one corner and headed towards it.

An alleyway stood between me and a lit street and I hurried down it, relieved to get away from the darkness that had enclosed me. Hopefully this road would be better populated, making it easier for me to shake the dark shadows that stalked me.

My prayers weren't answered.

The street that I ended up on was lighter, which eased my nerves slightly, but was just as deserted and those I'd just passed through. The men behind me were getting closer, their footsteps heavier and more easy to distinguish. In a last ditch attempt to put more distance between us I crossed over the road and turned the corner, wishing that the next road would lead me safely back to the centre of Port Angeles.

I walked as quickly as I could without running and as I did, I silently berated myself for not taking better care, for not turning around when I could have and for not paying as much attention to Charlie as I should when he lectured me on what to do if I ever found myself in this situation.

A cruel laugh ahead made me jerk to a halt.

The rest of the group of men were directly ahead of me and getting closer, cans of beers in hand as they swaggered towards me. Their friends behind me now grew louder as they shouted and laughed to one another, no longer trying to remain quiet and unseen.

It was then that I realised the true danger that I was in.

I had been herded, in that I was sure, and now I was completely surrounded.

Up ahead, two intersections away, I could make out the bright lights of traffic and small figures moving around. They were too far away to call out for help though and the knowledge that I actually had been heading in the right direction was small comfort now.

The men were steadily getting closer and as I searched frantically for any available escape I could make, I could see the excited gleam in their eyes.

"There you are," one of them called out behind me, a thread of amusement running through his voice. "We were beginning to think that we'd lost you."

The men in front were even closer now and I stopped walking, pulling my purse over my head in one hand, ready to give it up if that was what they wanted.

I was fooling myself. A pitiful few dollars wasn't worth all the effort they had put into getting me where they wanted.

Bracing my feet, I tried to dredge up the memories of all the self-defence moves my father had ever taught me. I could smash my palm upwards into a nose and hope that the bone shards would shatter into the brain; I could stamp on the instep and attempt to hook my leg around their knees, trying to throw them off balance. And, if all else failed, I could rely on the tried and tested moves of chick-fighting: knees in groins, fingers jabbed into eyes, hair pulled and, if nothing else, I could scream a lot and maybe, just maybe, someone would hear me and come to my aid.

I couldn't try to just run and hope that they wouldn't catch me; I fell down too much just walking to ever attempt sprinting. With any luck though, I would be able to hurt them enough that they were sufficiently distracted for me to get away.

The stockiest one came even closer and I inadvertently took a step back. "Don't touch me."

"Oh come on, sugar," he drawled. I was sure that he meant to sound reassuring, but I could hear the taunt in his voice. "We just want to get to know you a little bit better."

He reached out to grab my arm and I shot my hand out blindly, reacting on instinct, not even looking for a target, just knowing that I didn't want these men to touch me. My strike was surprisingly accurate though and I heard a sickening crunch as the man's nose shattered under my palm and blood began spurting out over his lower face.

"You fucking bitch!"

I immediately blanched at the sight of it, my stomach churning and my breath catching. _Oh God, please don't let me faint now._

The man was now glaring at me, red staining his face; he looking like an angry bull, ready to charge. His friends were now swearing at me and gathering closer.

I tried frantically to suck in air as black spots danced in front of my eyes.

_Don't faint. Don't faint. Don't faint._

"Bet you wish you hadn't been so brave now, huh, bitch?" One of them grabbed my wrist and twisted sharply and I cried out at the jolt of pain that shot up my arm.

The squealing of a car accelerating drifted into my consciousness and rapidly approaching headlights suddenly blinded my attackers, causing them to release me and stagger back, shielding their eyes.

I stayed where I was, swaying on my feet as black still swam around the corners of my vision.

I squinted blearily at my rescue, idly noting that my rescuer drove the same silver car as Edward did. The Volvo in front of me spun around so that the passenger side was facing me and the door was flung open from the inside.

The driver's door opened too and I gasped in relief.

"Bella, get in the car." His honeyed voice washed over me and I felt every muscle in my body relax.

"Edward." My voice was no more than a whisper, relief flooding through me.

Edward was strong, Edward was fast. Edward would be able to protect me.

"Get in the car, Bella," he repeated sternly. I obeyed this time, staggering towards the welcoming shade of the car's interior.

He remained outside, holding the men still with the force of his glare. As I watched, his attention seemed to be drawn towards the one with blood still on his face and one other. With shock, I realised that these were the two who had touched me.

The sound reached me then through the open driver's door – a low growl that was slowly building to an outright roar.

The men were terrified, tripping over themselves as they tried to run away. I, on the other hand, was comforted by the sound.

Edward leapt forward, grabbing two of them easily and tossing them like ragdolls against the metal shutters of a nearby building. They lay in a crumpled heap where they fell. The one who had twisted my wrist was next, Edward moving in a blur as he shot forward and grabbed the man's hand. His fist contracted and the man screamed out in pain, collapsing as he clutched his damaged hand to his chest. The one that I had hit received another blow to the face, a fresh wave of blood erupting from his mangled nose.

I clapped a hand over my face as my stomach churned once more. The dark spots were growing bigger and I called out to Edward as I tried to breathe in deeply through my nose.

He immediately abandoned the man he was leaning over and was back inside the car and speeding off again in a flash. The Volvo spun around an indeterminable number of corners and blasted through several stop signs.

"Bella...Bella..."

I could hear his voice, but it sounded like it was coming from a distance.

"Hmmm?"

"Put your seatbelt on."

I looked down, surprised to find that I hadn't buckled myself in. Fumbling with the belt, I listened for the telltale click to know that I was strapped in.

Turning my head very slowly to one side, I stared at Edward's profile. His eyes were blazing with rage and his lips were curled back over his teeth, sharp hisses and growls rumbling from his mouth. He was angry, but he was still beautiful to my eyes.

"Are you ok?" I asked him.

"No." His answer was short, sharp. He sucked in a sharp breath and then spoke again. "Are you alright?"

I thought carefully about my answer. "He hurt my wrist, and I feel woozy."

"Woozy?" He was worried now. "Did you hit your head?"

The heat inside the car was making me feel increasingly drowsy. "No, but there was blood."

"Ah, blood." His tone was understanding now. "I'm impressed that you didn't faint."

"Me too," I murmured, unconsciousness beginning to drag me down.

"Which wrist was it that got hurt?" he asked. My eyelids flickered and he spoke again, sharper this time. "Bella?"

"This one." I held it up pathetically and smiled when he took one hand off the wheel and enclosed it within his much larger palm. The coldness of his skin began to sink through, easing the pain. "That feels nice."

"It's meant to," he remarked.

There was something I needed to say to him, before the shock took hold of my body and I passed out.

"Thank you for rescuing me, Edward."

He was silent for a minute. "Always, Bella."


	10. Sharp Edges

**Here's the latest chapter for you all, sorry about taking a while to post – my beta's been on holiday (lucky). With that said, a big thank you to RedSummer for beta-ing this so quickly after she got back.**

**As always, I own nothing to do with Twilight apart from the ideas it inspires. I hope you like it.**

**Sharp Edges**

**BPOV**

I blinked slowly, my surroundings gradually coming into focus.

I felt safe, and warm, and surrounded by Edward.

That last one made me frown in confusion and I blinked again. I was in a car, the chair had been reclined backwards so that I could only make out the glow of the console and the back of the driver's seat. There was no light streaming in from outside and I struggled to work out where we were – not in town anymore.

I breathed in deeply and again the scent of Edward hit me. I suppose it made sense that his car would smell like him, but he wasn't even in the vehicle anyway. The driver's seat was empty, the shift put in park.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes, trying to work out what was going on. As I did, something heavy landed on my lap and I looked down in confusion.

Well, that explained the scent of Edward then – at some point, when I had been unconscious, he must have wrapped me up in his coat to keep me warm. I stroked the cool fabric softly, a small smile rising on my lips.

The smile slowly disappeared though when I realised that I didn't know where we were or where Edward had gone. I peered out of the window, trying to get some clue of our location. We were pulled over onto a grass verge, tall trees rising up on either side of the road. I couldn't find Edward though, and panic slowly began to sink in. Where was he?

A loud crash reverberated through the forest to my left and I jumped at the sound, my eyes frantically scanning the pitch black surrounding, the car headlights providing little assistance.

He had to be around here somewhere. I was certain that he wouldn't just abandon me in his car and disappear. Getting out, I took the opportunity to stretch, feeling the twinge of pain in my wrist as I did.

Another loud crash came from between the trees and I took a step backwards, leaning against the door to the Volvo, ready to flee back inside if it was some kind of animal out there. That last one had sounded closer than the other, so I wasn't taking any chances. I heard a third crash a second later and I frowned as I tried to work out what was causing it – it almost sounded like someone was felling trees, but why would they be logging by the road in the dark?

"Edward?" I called hesitantly.

He was in front of me in a flash and I jumped back at the speed with which he emerged, my hand coming to rest over my wildly beating heart. His eyes were bright with a kind of frenzied excitement. He didn't speak, he just stared at me, but as I cautiously looked him over I could see a fine trembling in his limbs.

He was still worked up then, and it took this realisation to make me recognise that I wasn't feeling so great myself.

His hands gently came up to touch mine, but he merely ran his fingers over them, as if he was memorising the shape and feel. He then switched his attention to my arms, gliding his fingers up until his hands cupped my neck.

He closed his eyes then, pressing lightly against the skin, before one hand skimmed down to rest over mine on my chest and the other slid upwards to stroke over the hair at the nape of my neck. I looked up to his face and saw he wore the same frustrated and hurt look that meant that he was trying to control himself.

Once again, I found myself wanting to comfort him, to reassure him that I was safe. I could feel the faint tremor of his fingers as they pressed against my skin. My own hands came up to run over his face, brushing lightly over the soft skin of his closed eyelids, tracing the definition of his cheekbones.

"It's all alright, Edward. I'm not hurt. I'm fine. We're both fine. We're here together. I'm safe now."

I kept up the litany of reassurances as Edward slowly calmed down, burying his face in my neck so I couldn't see him, but could feel the deep breaths he was taking. I held him to me, stroking through the strands of his messy hair, trying to soothe him. My reassurances also served to calm me down and I felt my own limbs begin to shake as the feeling of safety I got when around Edward finally let my body relax and feel the shock of the attack begin to seep through.

A low grumbling was resonating through Edward's chest, the sound and feel of the vibration comforting me further and I clung to him even tighter, my fingers winding round and gripping his hair sharply, grounding me.

He didn't seem to mind though, instead, nuzzling further into the crook of my neck and softly kissing the skin there. I shuddered at the feel of his lips, those lips that could do so many delicious things to me. My fingers loosened their pull on his hair, lightly massaging and scratching against his scalp. His mouth became more insistent as I did, his attentions running up and down my neck, across my shoulder where he brushed the collar of my top aside to give him more access to my bare skin.

I concentrated on the feeling of him in my arms. Edward was here, he had saved me from being attacked and being... I didn't want to think about what could have happened. All that mattered now was that I was here and I was safe, and Edward would look after me. It wasn't a particularly modern, independent thought, but it was a heart-warming one nonetheless. It was reassuring that for once I could rely on someone else, even though Edward and I had only recently reconciled.

The shaking in my limbs eased slightly and Edward's mouth became more insistent against my skin as he felt the panic slowly begin to leave my body. Warmth was beginning to spread through me and I sighed in relief and pleasure as he continued to lavish attention upon me. I tilted my head to the side almost unconsciously and my own lips brushed against his ear. I felt the shudder that racked through his body at the contact and he pulled backwards to look at me. His eyes burned into mine questioning and I swallowed heavily at the weight of his gaze.

He didn't seem able to talk, his quiet growl continuing to resound unbroken through his chest, but I could see what he was asking, what he was pleading for.

Reassurance.

The knowledge that I was safe, that he had saved me, and that we were here together.

I shouldn't have said it, shouldn't have even considered it, especially given how acting impulsively with Edward had ended last time, but I couldn't help myself, couldn't help what I wanted.

I gave him permission.

"Yes. Yes, Edward."

He swept forward, capturing my mouth with his own the second the words left me. I moaned embarrassingly loudly into his mouth, sucking his bottom lip between my own and nibbling along the soft flesh with my dull teeth. He groaned and his hands gripped me around the waist, lifting me up and pressing my body firmly against the side of the car. My own hands flew to his shoulders, my fingers tightly gripping the fabric of his sweater, as I tried to climb up his body, wanting that delicious pressure of his cock against my centre that I had experienced just twice before.

Edward took my unspoken hint, greedy hands rubbing over and lightly squeezing my ass, encouraging me to buck my hips against him, pushing us closer, before he eventually slid his hands slowly down the curve of my ass, along the back of my thighs, where he gripped behind my knees and helped me wrap my legs around his hips.

And... there.

"Edward..." I let out a breathy sigh as I ground down against the bulge in his jeans.

He didn't reply, merely growled louder and I shivered as the vibrations from the sound shot up my body from where we were pressed together.

"Edward, please?" I begged, my nails scratching ineffectually at his neck.

His hands slid around to the front of my jeans and he began to tug at the button and zip that held them on. I kissed him frantically as he did, letting his tongue into my mouth as he tried to yank my pants down my legs, only to be hindered from their position around his waist.

He broke the kiss to look down and snarl in displeasure and I giggled at the predicament. Edward looked up at me in annoyance, but upon seeing my amusement his scowl disappeared into that crooked smile that dazzled me into submission.

I raised my hand to cup his cheek, only to squeak when I suddenly found myself tilted sideways before being quickly returned to my former position. The rasp of Edward's jeans against my thighs made me look down, only to find that Edward had removed my pants, too fast for me to notice.

I looked up at him, stunned, and he offered me a wicked grin that made my body clench in response.

I threw myself at him, my arms locking tightly around his neck, not allowing anymore space between us. He grunted as I shimmied my body against his, my legs squeezing around his hips as tightly as I could as I shamelessly rocked against his erection. He growled sharply at my enthusiasm and my breath caught at the arousing sound.

With one arm wrapped around my waist, holding me to him, I briefly worried that the position felt very similar to the last time we had been intimate and my ribs had ended up broken. Edward seemed to sense my concern though and I felt his grip loosen slightly as his other hand slipped down between our bodies.

His hand brushed against my clit through my underwear and I jumped at the contact. My body froze as his hand continued to stroke against my wet centre. All of my nerves felt on edge and I struggled to keep my eyes open when all I wanted to do was just give into the feeling.

Edward's hand suddenly disappeared and I blearily glared at him. Why was he stopping? I pushed my hips insistently forward. I didn't want him to stop.

He pushed me harder against the Volvo, leaning into my body and as he did, I realised that while I had been concentrating on the feel of his hand on my clit, he had been busy unbuttoning his pants. Bracing his hands against the frame of the car behind me, Edward ran his cock over my wet panties and I whimpered at the feeling.

Edward pressed his forehead against mine, nuzzling me gently. It was a surprisingly tender gesture considering how frantic the rest of our encounter had been. The low rumble was back again, although it paused temporarily as he tried to speak.

"...Be-...Bella?"

I smiled fondly at him. "Edward."

He took his name as permission, quickly moving my underwear to one side and then began to push inside me.

"Oh God..." I wailed at the sensation of him sliding inside me, a dull ache making itself known as my body adjusted to his after so long apart. Each inch of him that entered me sent sparks shooting up my nerves, putting my body on edge.

Edward kept his eyes on mine as he began to withdraw and I tried to convey my need and gratitude to him. I wanted to thank him for saving me, I wanted to thank him for giving me this, but above all I just wanted to thank him for coming back to me and letting me have this...no matter the questions he still needed to answer.

He thrust into me more forcefully and we both moaned loudly. When he saw that I had no objection to the roughness of his actions, Edward sped up, continuing to pound into me until all I could do was just cling to him loosely and allow him to have his way with me.

I ran my fingers through his messy hair, pulling sharply when he lowered his head to press kisses on my breasts over my shirt. His tongue snuck out to lick across my nipple, suckling on the sensitive flesh through the scratchy fabric of my clothes. One of his hands left the car to slide up my top, cupping my neglected breast and flicking his thumb against the sensitive bud.

It was an assault on all my senses and all I could do was close my eyes and just feel.

Edward's mouth was back on my neck, and despite all that I had found out over the last few days, I was surprisingly unconcerned by his close proximity to my arteries. A part of me didn't know whether I would actually stop him if he did decide to bite me.

That wonderful warm feeling was spreading through my body again and I began to tense automatically in anticipation of the heightened sensation that was to follow.

Edward read my body perfectly, his hand once again descending between us to stroke against my clit. The pit of my stomach twisted and my muscles clamped down against his cock inside me. He grunted loudly at the sensation and in my haze I concentrated on repeating the motion so I could wring the same effect from him.

As his fingers rubbed more firmly against my clit and he continued to thrust into me, my breath caught and I gasped loudly as all the tension suddenly released and the most amazing sensation of tingly bliss hit me. I screamed his name as I was pulled taught and then released. All of my muscles suddenly relaxed and my body was now only held up by the force of Edward's body, pressing me against the car as I panted into his ear, trying to regain my breath.

The feeling of Edward's hand against my clit was now almost too much, veering on the pain side of pleasure as I tried to both buck my hips closer and shy away at the hand. Thankfully, he soon returned his hands to the roof of the car and his thrusts became more jerky as he reached his own climax.

"Bella." He groaned when he came and I heard the screech of metal crumpling behind me as the car buckled beneath his tight grasp.

I ran my hands soothingly over the arms on either side of me, fascinated by the play of his muscles as they contracted beneath my touch.

"God, Bella," he muttered.

"Yeah," I replied dreamily.

He raised his head from where it had been buried in my shoulder and look at me. I inwardly smiled to see the almost drugged look on his face. "Are you alright?"

"I feel amazing," I confessed, suddenly unable to hold anything back. "That was just..." I was unable to come up with the words to describe the experience. When I had encouraged him to kiss me, to touch me, I had been running on pure adrenaline and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to throw myself at him. I waited for the moment of dread and realisation to strike me, as it had before, but it never came and I realised that unlike before, this time I had known what I was getting myself into and I embraced it wholeheartedly.

Edward continued to study my face, a small line appearing on his forehead as he tried to ascertain my reaction. With a start of surprise, I realised that I hadn't made sure that he was alright with what had just happened, something I should have been more aware of, especially given his bitter self-recriminations last time.

"How about you?"

"Me?" He was startled.

"Yeah. Are you alright?"

He swallowed hard and I watched the movement of his Adam's apple with fascination, imagining what it would be like for me to lick that spot.

"Bella?" His hesitant voice brought my whole attention back to him.

"Yes?" I smiled brightly.

He frowned. "You don't appear to be very upset."

Now I was confused. "No. Why? Should I be?"

"It's just," he began slowly, "you've had a very upsetting experience with those men."

A chill went down my spine at the reminder of what had happened earlier this evening and for the first time since being in Edward's arms, I felt cold. I partially expected him to push me away at my reaction, taking it as a sign of rejection or uncertainty, but instead he pushed away from the Volvo so that he was the only thing supporting me and wrapped his arms more snugly around me. I hugged him back, nuzzling my face into the crook between his neck and his jaw, breathing in his scent to calm me down.

"I'm fine," I whispered. "I'm just glad you're here."

Edward face was buried in my hair and I felt him inhale deeply. "I'm glad I was here too, Bella. Although I wish I'd managed to get to you sooner, so you didn't have to experience that."

I hummed noncommittally. "You're here now, that's all that matters. You helped make it better."

Edward pulled his head back and let out a sharp bark of laughter. "I'm not sure that having sex by the side of road actually made the situation better, Bella."

"It did," I protested. "I feel much better now, don't you?"

He pulled a face but eventually smiled and nodded. "I do actually."

"Good. Then we have nothing to regret," I stated decisively.

"Would you have regretted it otherwise?"

I paused at his question, the uncertainty in his voice making me stop and think seriously about my answer.

"No." I raised my eyes to his confidently. "No, I wouldn't have regretted this. With or without the attack I would've come to you if you'd asked me."

He offered me a smile, tempered somewhat by the bittersweet look in his eyes. He brushed my hair back from my face, trailing his fingers down my cheek and along my neck until he faintly pressed over my jugular.

"I wouldn't regret you either."

His quiet pledge made me smile again and I leaned forward to brush my lips against his, so softly that it wasn't really even a kiss, just a fleeting reassurance.

A car horn blaring on the road behind shocked us out of our bubble and I suddenly became aware of where we were and what we were doing, even though Edward had mentioned our location not two minutes ago.

I immediately felt my cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment at being seen.

Luckily, we were on the opposite side of the car to the road and it was dark, but I was only half dressed and Edward, with his jeans pushed down around his knees, was still inside me. He was still hard and I idly wondered if that was a vampire thing, before realising the inappropriateness of the thought given our situation.

"Ummm, we should probably get dressed," I suggested, and this time it was Edward's turn to smile at me.

"Don't worry, Bella. That driver didn't actually see anything; he just thought we were making out."

"Well we just were," I defended. "You know...before we did the...other...stuff." My voice trailed off as my embarrassment made itself known again and I buried my face back into the crook of his neck, allowing his cold skin to cool down my warm face.

Placing an affectionate kiss on my neck, Edward quickly lifted me off of him and lowered me to the ground, holding onto my arm to steady me when I nearly toppled sideways as my legs got used to supporting their own weight again.

The grit of the earth bit into my feet and I looked down to find that my sneakers were gone and only my socks remained on my feet.

"Ummm, Edward, where are my shoes?"

"Oh." It was his turn to look embarrassed. "They fell off when I pulled your jeans down. Hang on and I'll get them for you." He flashed away and back so quickly that I jumped at his quick reappearance.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I forgot. Here, hold onto me."

He placed my hands on his shoulders and then knelt in front of me, encouraging me to lift each leg so he could thread my feet through the pant legs. He then tugged the jeans back up around my hips and fastened the zip and button again. When that was done, he slid my feet into my shoes, concentrating on the task while he tied each of the laces.

It was a curiously intimate thing – to have him redress me like this. It should have made me blush, given that the last person to help me dress had been my mother after I tripped and broke my leg in second grade. Instead, I found myself smiling fondly at the top of his head.

He looked up when he was done and saw the grin on my face. His brow furrowed questioningly at me. "What?"

I just shook my head, still smiling. "Nothing."

He arched an eyebrow but didn't push me any further, standing up before me. "Do you want me to take you home?" I couldn't be sure, but he sounded almost reluctant.

"Oh crap!" Realisation suddenly struck me. "Jessica and Angela were going to meet me an hour ago. I need to get back. Now!" I nearly shouted the last word, turning to jump back into the car as fast as possible...

...only I couldn't.

My mind went completely blank as I stared at Edward's car. The entire top of the passenger side of the Volvo was crumpled in on itself, the glass in the window curving precariously. I didn't even think that I would be able to get the door open, given that the roof was caved in over it.

Edward had done this, I realised. His hands had crushed this car as easily as if it was made of paper.

I should be horrified, but I remembered the crushing power of his hands around my ribs and I could only be grateful to him that he had done all that was possible to stop himself from hurting me.

When I spun back to him, he was watching me warily, not sure what my reaction was going to be. I didn't want to make a big deal about it though – not with everything else we still had to discuss.

"You might have to help me open the door."

Edward laughed but obliged, gripping and twisting the top of the car so he could open the door for me. "My lady." He half-bowed and gestured towards the inside of the vehicle.

I giggled at the old-fashioned gesture and slid into the seat; he was behind the wheel of the car a second later.

"You should put that on," he suggested.

I looked down to where he indicated. His jacket lay between us where I had shrugged it off earlier.

"You'll be cold again if you don't put something on. You were shivering earlier."

I stroked the leather of the jacket before pulling it on. "Thanks."

"No problem." He offered me a smile. "How's your wrist feeling now?"

I rotated it slowly, as he pulled the car off the side of the road and began driving back towards Port Angeles. I felt a slight twinge as I moved it, but it didn't feel as bad as it had earlier on in the evening.

"I think it's ok. A little sore, but I'm sure I'll live."

There was silence for a moment and then Edward cleared his throat uncomfortably and shifted in his seat slightly. I turned my head to look at him and saw that his confidence had been replaced with nervousness.

"Ummmm..." He stopped talking and I leaned slightly towards him.

"Yes?"

"The..." He cleared his throat again and I rested my hand on his arm in reassurance. "And after...?"

"After?" I frowned, not understanding.

"After what... we did. Are you alright?"

Understanding struck me. "I'm fine, Edward. Nothing hurts and I'm not in any pain."

He nodded silently, but I could see his shoulders relax. He had really been worried that he had hurt me again. I slid my fingers down his arm until my hand was resting over his on the shift. There was a moment when I thought I might have read the situation wrong, but then Edward turned his hand over so we were palm to palm, his fingers weaving and locking with mine.

Our linked hands rested on the edge of my seat between us and I turned my face towards the window to hide my smile at the small gesture. This was actually happening; we were actually going to try this.

Despite the fact that we still needed to talk about Edward's... condition, I still felt more hopeful than I had been before he had left for the weekend. I suppressed my inner squeal. I would have to save my excitement for when I talked to my friends later.

And speaking of my friends, as Edward pulled up to the restaurant, I could see them standing on the steps to the entrance looking worried.

"They're wondering where you are and if they should call your father," Edward commented softly.

"I better go and let them know that I'm safe then." I unbuckled my seatbelt and started to open the door, only to be stopped by a squeeze of my hand. I looked back only to find him studying the two girls.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"Are you ready to face the inquisition?" I shot back.

He smirked. "I think I can handle a couple of teenage girls."

I shook my head. "Well, let's see how you handle it then." I climbed out of the car and heard Jessica's screech of surprise as she caught sight of me.

"Bella!"

Her mouth dropped and her eyes shifted to the side when Edward emerged from the car, smiling bashfully at the two girls. "Jessica. Angela."

Angela bit her lip and Jessica slammed her mouth shut with an audible clack.

I shuffled forwards, suddenly nervous. "Ummm, I'm sorry I was late, you guys. I got lost."

Jessica's eyes continued to shift rapidly between me and Edward.

"I think you've got some explaining to do, Bella."

I gulped.


	11. Assemble With Supervision

**So here's my latest chapter. I hope you all like it. A massive thank you goes to msrachelgarner for taking a look at it for me. As always, I own nothing.**

**Assemble With Supervision**

**BPOV**

"Explain what?" I tried to pull off an air of innocence, but I'm not entirely sure that it worked.

Jessica rolled her eyes at me and even Angela looked amused by my cageyness.

My friend turned to Edward and offered him a beaming smile. "Do you mind if we just have a second with Bella, Edward? We've been really worried about her."

By this point even he was trying to hide his humour, merely inclining his head at her. "Of course. I'll wait over by the car."

"Traitor," I muttered under my breath as Jessica and Angela descended on me in a huddle, blocking Edward from my view.

"Oh my God!" Jessica was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. "What happened to you? We've been waiting for ages and we were really worried that something had happened and then you show up with _Edward Cullen_ and no offense, Bella, but you kind of look like you were attacked by a cat – your hair is all over the place. Why were you so late? I thought that you'd been murdered and that they were going to find your body in a ditch just outside of town and then your dad would take me and Angela in for questioning, and of course we would get arrested, just for not keeping you alive or something..."

"Jess...Jess!" Angela finally interrupted her. "Why don't you take a deep breath and let Bella tell us where she was. She can't explain anything if you don't stop talking."

I giggled at that, but choked back an outright laugh when both girls immediately swung their heads to look at me expectantly.

I didn't know what to say to them. I could lie, but no-one apart from Charlie ever believed me, mainly because I always got so nervous that I couldn't remember to keep my story straight, so that option was out. On the other hand though, I didn't want to tell them the truth. What was between Edward and I was so new that I kind of wanted to keep it to myself for a bit longer before other people started commenting on and judging it.

"Well, I was looking for that bookshop like you both said, but I could really find what I was looking for so I walked a bit farther along and before I knew it, it was dark and I was lost. Anyway, I ended up by a load of bars and I was starting to get a bit nervous, you know?"

Angela and Jessica both nodded, but by the already concerned looks on their faces, I didn't want to tell them the whole truth of what had happened.

"Anyway, I accidentally tripped and hurt my wrist," I held up the swollen limb, "but luckily Edward was in town collecting something for his dad, and he saw me, and...yeah," I finished rather lamely.

My friends exchanged a doubtful look at my explanation.

"Are you sure you didn't ask him to meet you here, Bella?" Jessica asked hesitantly. "It's a bit of a coincidence."

Normally, I would've been offended by this lack of trust in my version of events, but I understood how it looked. If Jessica had done the same with Mike, I knew that I wouldn't doubt for a moment that she had arranged for him to meet up with her. Us all being in Port Angeles on the same weeknight really did seem like too much of a coincidence.

"I was really surprised when he pulled up beside me as I was walking," I stated, trying to convey the surprise I had felt when Edward had sped up and saved me from God knows what. "I can't say that I was unhappy about though, especially given how much trouble I could have gotten into if I'd ended up in the wrong part of town."

"That is true." Angela nodded, convinced by my sincerity. "Remember that girl who was on the news a couple of weeks ago; she was attacked over by the warehouse district."

I shivered at the thought of what those men could have done in the past, and what they might have done to me.

"Yeah, I have to say I practically threw myself at Edward when I saw him. I hate getting lost, especially when it's dark."

"Yeah, me too." Jessica rubbed my arm sympathetically. "Although I would've thrown myself at Edward without an excuse."

Her candour was exactly what we needed to break the solemn air that had fallen over us, and we all giggled, my own laughter somewhat hysterical.

"Anyway," I redirected the conversation, "are we still eating here?"

"Oh."

Both Angela and Jessica cast their eyes down and shuffled their feet.

"What?" I was confused by their reaction.

"Well," Angela began, "we decided to go inside to wait for you because the wind was beginning to pick up, and we thought you would be along any second, so we ordered our food and were just going to wait for you to add your order..."

Her voice trailed off and Jessica picked up the rest of the explanation.

"Only then they brought the food to early and we had to eat it before it got cold. So you've...kind of missed dinner." She avoided my eyes. "Sorry."

They both looked so guilty, even though it wasn't their fault.

"It's no problem, guys. Maybe we can just stop at a drive-in somewhere on the way back so I don't starve."

"You're not mad at us?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. I'm the one who was stupid enough to get lost, so it couldn't be helped."

A polite cough had us all spinning around to face Edward who was leaning against his car watching us, an innocent look on his face. He stepped forward when he saw that he had our attention.

"I couldn't help overhearing your conversation, but perhaps it would be alright if I took Bella inside to get something to eat so you ladies don't have to go out of your way. She really should eat something and I can drive her home myself later on so you don't have to wait." He turned those dazzling eyes from Jess and Angela to me. "Only if you'd like, of course."

I stared at him blankly. He wanted to eat...with me.

Did he even eat human food? How would he digest it?

One of his eyebrows quirked up as if he could tell what I was thinking and I went to reply, only to be taken aback when I was suddenly shoved forward, stumbling towards Edward who quickly moved to catch me and stop me falling.

A giggle from behind had me turning around to face Jessica and Angela who were stifling their laughter and attempting to look innocent.

"Of course Bella should stay for dinner with you." Jessica nodded enthusiastically. "It would silly for her not to eat anything and so thoughtful of you to offer."

I rolled my eyes at her and she grinned unrepentantly back at me.

I felt a shiver from Edward presence as he stepped closer to me, his hand coming to rest on the small of my back. "You'd both be more than welcome to join us if you'd like," he offered.

For a split second I thought Jessica was going to agree to stay, just so she could work out what was going on between us, but thankfully Angela spoke up.

"That's very nice of you, but I think we're going to have to get back soon; I've got a curfew."

Jessica pouted but gave me a hug before she and Angela left, whispering in my ear as she did. "Tomorrow, I want details. Lots of them."

I laughed and nodded as I waved them off, waiting until their headlights had disappeared into the distance before I looked at Edward.

He waved a hand towards the front of the restaurant. "Shall we?"

"You were serious?" I asked. "I thought you only said that to get rid of Jess and Angela."

His lips quirked into a rueful smile. "I did. But I also feel that as it's my fault that you didn't get to eat earlier that it should be my responsibility to correct that now."

"It was hardly your fault that I got lost earlier."

"No," he agreed, "but I should have you brought you back here sooner rather than..." He hesitated and I could tell that once again he was arguing with himself about us having sex. This time though he seemed to shake off his guilt and regret a lot easier. He changed subject rapidly. "Besides, after your attack it'll be good for you to eat. It'll help with the shock."

"I'm not in shock. I'm perfectly fine," I immediately argued.

"What was that back there then if not adrenaline?" he countered.

I opened my mouth to talk and then shut it again. As much as I wanted to rebuke his notion that I was in shock, the truth was that I probably wouldn't have jumped him, in public, by the side of the road, if I hadn't been still slightly panicked from the attack.

"Fine, let's go eat then."

Edward hid his smile at my disgruntled tone of voice and led me into the restaurant, pausing by the hostess to request a private table. The woman obliged him with a giggle and a smile as she led us over to a small booth set to one side of the room. She giggled coquettishly at him again when he thanked her and I felt my hackles begin to rise as she patted him on the shoulder before leaving.

The waitress wasn't much better when she came over, choosing to completely ignore my presence while fawning over Edward. If he hadn't spoken up and directed her attention towards me then I doubted that I would've got anything to drink at all.

It was curious to watch Edward as we sat together. Despite the waitress's best efforts, all of his attention seemed to be focused on me, but every now and then his eyes would dart across to rest on one of the other diners or workers as if he had just caught them saying something interesting.

I let the silence between us build while I waited for the server to return. I had so many questions that I wanted to be answered now that Edward was back, but I didn't want to chance being overheard.

"Here you go. Two cokes." Our waitress, Amber I think her name was, set the drinks down on the table and then turned to face Edward, completely ignoring my presence.

I was torn between laughing at her obvious flirtation towards Edward, and given how attractive he was who could blame her, and wanting to beat her over the head with the menu I was holding.

"Are you ready to order now, Sir?" She leaned over and I noticed that between ordering and bringing the drinks, she had surreptitiously unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt. I crossed my arms over my own chest and glared at her, nearly missing Edward's smirk as I did so.

"Have you decided what you want yet, Bella?" he asked.

"Oh." Embarrassed to have been caught glaring, I glanced down at my menu and picked the first thing I saw on it.

"I'll have the mushroom ravioli, please."

Smiling, Edward took my menu and handed it along with his to the waitress. "One mushroom ravioli and nothing for me, thank you."

Of course he wasn't going to eat; in fact, he hadn't even drunk any of his Coke yet while mine was half gone already, the sugar offering me a mini pick-me-up until I ate. I guess that answered my earlier question about digestion.

"You've got the most serious look on your face right now," he commented. "I'd love to know what you're thinking."

The waitress had wandered off while I was thinking so I was now left alone with Edward and seized my opportunity.

"I was thinking that you're going to be hungry when you get home seeing as you're not eating now."

The smile disappeared from his face. "I already ate before I came here."

"At home?" I inquired. "Or this weekend at Goats Rock?"

He barked out a laugh that didn't really sound that amused. I waited patiently.

"Both, actually," he finally replied. He was stopped from saying any more by the return of the waitress with my food.

"One mushroom ravioli," she announced boredly, before perking up again when she turned to Edward. "Are you sure there's nothing I can give you?"

"No, thank you." He didn't even look at her and I felt somewhat gratified that he didn't appear to be flattered by her attention.

The waitress hovered for a few seconds before finally stalking away.

Edward laughed again, only this time the sound was more genuine and I saw several people in the restaurant turn to see where the musical sound had come from.

"It's nice to see that I'm not the only one who can get jealous."

I gave him a look. "It's not polite to hit on someone when they've come to dinner with another girl."

He nodded, but still looked entirely too amused at my expense for my liking. "Of course."

I stabbed a piece of ravioli viciously with my fork and jammed it into my mouth before I could say something that I would regret. I waited until I had chewed and swallowed before I asked my next question, wondering if he would brush it off in the same manner as my query about his eating habits.

"Not that I'm not grateful, but what were you doing in Port Angeles tonight, Edward?"

He grimaced, so quickly that I might have missed the expression if I hadn't been looking out for it.

"You don't want to start with the easy questions first then?"

I frowned. "That was an easy question."

"No, it's really not. Ask me another."

I shook my head. "Alright then, how did you find me?"

"Next."

Tired of his games, I blurted out my next question without thinking about it.

"You can read minds, can't you?"

Edward stilled, his entire body appearing to freeze in an unnatural manner before he blinked and the illusion was broken.

"What would make you think that?" he asked cautiously.

I lost my temper. "Cut the crap, Edward. I need answers from you and need them before this thing between us..." I waved my hand back and forth, "...goes any further."

He broke eye contact with me and focused on where his hands were idly spinning his glass around. "I supposed that's true," he finally conceded.

A bolt of insecurity hit me at his noncommittal response.

"You...do want this to go further...right?" I finally dared to ask.

"Of course." His reply was immediate and I breathed a sigh of relief at the confidence I heard in his voice. "I just..."

I tensed, my relief quickly vanishing once more at the addendum. "What?" My voice came out harsher than I meant it to and Edward's eyes shot up to mine once more, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Bella, I want this," he reassured me. "If anything, I want this more than I should..."

"Don't start that again."

One half of his mouth curled up at my rebuke, but he nodded in concession.

"I just think," he began again, "that maybe everything we've done has been too much...too fast. When I said that I wanted to court you I didn't anticipate my reaction to you being in danger – my need for you – to be so strong." He spoke slowly, thinking about his words carefully before they left his mouth. "What happened tonight by the road, I don't regret it, but I think that in the future, I should maybe like to know you better before I..." He paused and then smiled to himself. "..._know_ you better."

I blinked at him. "Isn't it a little late for that, Edward?"

He laughed loudly again, only this time I smiled as well.

"Oh yes, far too late." I shivered at the predatory edge to his words and he smirked at me.

I leaned forward, temporarily abandoning my food. "So, what you're saying is that you think we shouldn't be..." I stumbled over my words, still unsure what to call it, "..._intimate_...again until we know each other better?"

I was bright red by the end of my little speech, the flush spreading up my neck and cheeks and down to my chest. I ducked my head to avoid his amused stare, picking up my fork and shoving my mouth full of pasta again to avoid saying anything else embarrassing.

"I think so, yes. I know it's a little like bolting the stable door once the horse has already fled, but I think I..._we_...would be more comfortable if we were better acquainted before we're intimate again."

I peeked out from behind my hair to see that Edward looked just as uncomfortable talking about sex as I felt. A change of subject was definitely needed.

"So..." I tried to remember what we had been talking about before we had deviated from the topic. "...you can read minds?"

This time Edward didn't even bother trying to deny it, instead, he leaned forward so I could hear his quiet voice. "How did you work it out?"

"Earlier on when we pulled up to the restaurant, you said that Jessica and Angela were worried about me and thinking about calling Charlie. You couldn't have heard them say it, because they weren't speaking when you stopped the car. And sometimes you seem to know how people will react or how they think when you can't possibly... Everyone always talks about how remote you are at school, so I doubt they'd tell you enough about themselves for you to just know."

He smiled ruefully and then his face became serious again.

"Yes. I can read minds."

I blew out a breath at his confirmation. I had suspected it to be true, but I hadn't expected for him to state it so plainly. The whole thing seemed so fantastical...but then, so had the idea of vampires being real, and yet I believed that.

"So, you know what I'm thinking right now?" I was half-afraid of the reply to this question. On the one hand, I was fascinated by the skill he possessed, while on the other, I was slightly terrified that had picked up all of my thoughts and feelings about him. I could feel the familiar heat begin to creep up my cheeks once more.

"No." He ran a hand impatiently through his hair and I thought that he almost appeared to be irritated by that fact. "You're the only exception to my...gift that I've ever come across. You're a complete mystery to me. But it's how I knew you had left Angela and Jessica in the department store to go and look for books, and how I knew what those...vile beasts were planning to do to you."

I shuddered at the reminder and Edward pushed his Coke towards me. "Here, drink this. The sugar will help with the shock."

I didn't bother to protest about his assessment of my mental state this time, instead gratefully taking the offered drink and downing it quickly. Surprisingly, it did help me feel somewhat better. It still took several attempts before I could gather myself enough to speak though.

"Why were you even in Port Angeles in the first place? You weren't at school today. Although... Were you in my room last night?"

Edward grimaced, but didn't look away or roll his eyes like he usually did when he was trying to get out of telling me something.

"I feel very protective of you, especially since we... I just wanted to hang back this afternoon and make sure you didn't get hurt – you do seem to attract trouble – but when you went off by yourself and I couldn't find any trace of you near the book shop and it was getting dark, I began to worry. I drove around for a bit, trying to see if I could pick up any trace of you, -"

"Wait," I interrupted. "How?"

"How?"

"How would you pick up any trace of me? You wouldn't have seen what direction I was going."

Edward half-smiled. "I followed your scent. It's quite distinctive and being as close as we have been, I'd recognise it anywhere."

I wasn't sure how to react to that so I just nodded. I already knew what he was; making a big deal over the fact that he had tons of super-senses seemed a little pointless to me.

"So you followed my scent?" I prompted.

"For as long as I could have. It got a little hazy around the bar area downtown given that there were so many people moving back and forth around there, but I managed to catch a brief hint of you and then..."

His jaw clenched, and I could see the muscles in his shoulders and chest tense. His body appeared to vibrate in anger almost imperceptibly and I immediately reached across the table to rest my hand reassuringly over his. He immediately stilled and looked down at my hand in confusion, as if he couldn't work out how it had got there.

"And then..." I prompted.

Edward took a deep breath and slid his hand out from under mine, placing it under the table. His voice was strained with repressed anger when he next spoke.

"And then I saw your face in their minds, and I saw what they were going to do with you..."

There was nothing I could say to that, nothing I could think of to make what could have happened better.

"You stopped them though," I commented softly.

"I wanted to kill them," he confessed.

"I know." I did know. I had seen the fury in his eyes. I had felt the strength contained within his arms, felt the damage he could do. If he had wanted to, he could've torn those men limb from limb without a second thought. But he had stopped, he had stopped to take care of me, and that said everything to me. "Thank you for being there."

He nodded and we sat there in silence while I finished my dinner and he watched the other people in the restaurant curiously.

I set my fork down. "Are they thinking anything interesting? The other people here," I clarified when his brow furrowed.

"Not really." He shook his head. "Mostly people always think about the same sorts of things – family, work, money, relationships. Most of the time it's just like background noise; you can hear what people are thinking, but it doesn't really register."

"What about at school?"

"At school?" He smiled. "Put it this way, not many of our peers are thinking about their grades while they're there. Are you done?"

I glanced down at my half-empty plate. "Yeah, I'm ready to leave now."

He glanced up and our waitress appeared by the side of the table straight away as if she had been just waiting for some kind of acknowledgement. "Can I get you anything?" Once more her question was directed only towards Edward, but she had toned down the flirtatious edge to her voice which I appreciated.

"Just the check, thank you."

The waitress scrabbled around in her pocket before handing over a leather folder. Edward didn't even look at it, instead handing over a note and telling her to keep the change. She appeared flustered for a minute at his quick action.

"Are you sure you don't want to keep the receipt?" she pressed.

I looked at her sharply, my eyes falling on the receipt that she was now holding out towards Edward. Through the thin paper, I could see the dark scrawl of black ink, and a scowl crossed my face at the blatant nerve of this girl. Luckily my anger was tempered by the knowledge that Edward wasn't even looking at her, instead his eyes where focused on me in concern.

"No." His reply was short. "Here, let me help you, Bella." He rounded the table, brushing past the waitress and picked up his jacket, holding it out for me to slip into. I leaned into him slightly as he rested the jacket over my shoulders and he lightly squeezed the top of my arms.

"Shall we?"

I glared at the waitress as we passed her, even though she was taller than me so I had to look up to do it. She barely noticed, her eyes still greedily tracking Edward out of the building.

I huffed as we exited into the cool night air, holding the jacket tighter around me as the sudden chill sent a shiver down my spine. I knew I was behaving ridiculously, but thankfully this time Edward was gracious enough not to mention my reaction to the waitress.

He held the passenger door open for me when we reached his car, the abused metal groaning slightly in protest and I blushed again at the memory of just how the damage to the frame had come about. I was about to lower myself into the passenger seat when I stopped and turned back to Edward.

"You never answered my other question, you know."

"What question was that?"

"Were you in my room last night? I woke up in the middle of the night and could've sworn I spoke to you."

Edward shifted uncomfortably and I knew then that I hadn't been dreaming.

"I told you before that I didn't like being apart from you. I...I just wanted to check that you had made it through your weekend safely, especially as I didn't think I'd be seeing you until tomorrow."

I could've been annoyed. I could've screamed at him that I was perfectly capable of looking after myself. I could've yelled at him for coming into my room at night while I was asleep again.

Instead, inexplicably, I found his concern incredibly sweet.

"Okay."

"Okay?" He sounded incredulously.

"Sure," I offered.

I leaned forward and raised myself onto my toes, pressing a light kiss against the cool skin of his cheek.

"Okay."

I stepped back and lowered myself into the car. Edward took a second to compose himself before he shut the door after me and rounded the hood to the driver's side.

"Okay," I said as he started up the ignition and pulled away from the curb, swerving the car around so we were travelling back towards Forks.

His right hand came to rest between our seats and I reached out to grasp it without hesitation.

Now there was only the other issue standing between us to deal with.

"So," I began, "you're a _vampire_."


End file.
